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Will Saakashvili jump to the PM’s chair?

In the wake of his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, foreign media outlets are speculating whether Mikheil Saakashvili will assume the position of Prime Minister once his term as President expires. Both The Washington Times and Reuters have published pieces suggesting that he will choose this method of remaining in power.

Rezonansi asked three public figures for their opinion about the abovementioned issue.

Artist Gia Burjanadze says that the Georgian people should decide whether they want Saakashvili to stay in power or not.

Film director Keti Dolidze is pessimistic. “I know the English language pretty well and I know that he did not get much support and political guarantees there [in the U.S.]. Now Saakashvili is most dangerous, he will do everything to maintain [his power],” she said.

Lado Vardosanidze, an architect, had this to say: “Politics is a kind of profession [and] no one leaves it at Saakashvili's age... He has very large resources and, in fact, he has a large number of supporters in this country. However, his opponents are also a large part of society, so the elections will decide everything.”



Tariffs for parking increased

Rezonansi reports that the price of parking has increased in Batumi, Adjara. The tariff for a one-year, one-vehicle parking packet will be 80 GEL, up from 40 GEL last year. The new price is now higher than in Tbilisi, although there is speculation that its parking fees will also double, from 50 GEL to 100 GEL. City Park does not confirm this information.

Chair of the Batumi City Assembly, Giorgi Kirtadze, confirmed that the decision to increase parking fees was made by the Assembly. In addition to raising yearly rates, a one-week parking packet will now cost 7 GEL instead of 4 GEL. Official parking spots have also been determined, with 450 places allotted for taxis, at a price of 30 GEL per month.