Parliament vice speaker: destabilisation “main task” of opposition
Representatives of some of the opposition parties have claimed that the Ukrainian model of the law - taken as a basis for the Georgian bill - does not correspond to the Georgian reality. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Gia Volski, a ruling party MP and the vice speaker of the Georgian parliament, on Thursday said the “main task” of the domestic opposition was to ensure the “destabilisation” of the political environment in the country, after a section of the opposition boycotted a parliament bill proposed for fulfilling European Union-outlined priorities for Georgia.
The international community will think deeply about what the essence of our [political] opponents is, what their goals are and what they want in our country”, Volski said following the approval of a bill on deoligarchisation by the parliament.
“Instead of [contributing to] fulfilling the European Union conditions [for membership candidate status for Georgia], their main task is destabilisation”, the MP added.
The parliament on Thursday approved the bill - which outlines the definition of an oligarch and institutes limits to political activity for figures identified as such - in its first reading, despite a boycott from a part of the parliamentary opposition.
Representatives of some of the opposition parties have claimed that the Ukrainian model of the law - taken as a basis for the Georgian bill - does not correspond to the Georgian reality.
The Georgian parliament on Thursday approved the bill on deoligarchisation, a part of the conditions for obtaining the European Union membership candidate status, in its first reading.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the chair of the Georgian parliament’s committee on human rights, on Monday said the law on deoligarchisation, designed to address one of the conditions of the European Union for granting Georgia the membership candidate status, was not created “in favour or against specific persons”.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the executive secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said there was “no evidence” that the former prime minister and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili influenced domestic political processes or interfered “in any way”.
Anri Okhanashvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's legal affairs committee from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the working group engaged in implementing European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status was preparing to present its bill on deoligarchisation.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday highlighted the resilience in Georgia enjoying “peace and double-digit economic growth” on the backdrop of widespread effects of the war in Ukraine and economic crisis in the wider region.
Rati Ionatamishvili, an MP of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the deputy chair of the parliament’s legal affairs committee, on Wednesday said the opposition United National Movement was “constantly trying to damage” the image of the country.