Opposition demands early elections of Tbilisi Mayor
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Friday, October 9
The Mayor of Tbilisi, Davit Narmania, does not plan to leave his post. The statement was made after the opposition’s demand for early mayoral elections.
“I was chosen by the residents of Tbilisi and no opposition has the right to demand my dismissal; the Mayor’s Office continues working as usual” stated Narmania.
The United National Movement (UNM) held a special press conference demanding Narmania's dismissal.
According to them, Narmania cannot handle the situation in the Mayor’s Office, calling him helpless, reckless, irresponsible and corrupt.
“Narmania’s government is enjoying high salaries, supplements and bonuses, but he has failed, and made poor people’s lives more difficult. In this way, Narmania is totally helpless. He cannot make even elementary decisions and is forced to obediently fulfill orders of the special services. The only way out of the situation is Narmania’s dismissal,” reads the UNM’s statement.
The Free Democrats (FD) are also supportive of the changes. A member of the FD, Zurab Abashidze, names the delayed infrastructural works in the city as being one of the main failures.
“Damaged roads create huge traffic jams; the city is overcrowded, and Mayor’s Office cannot handle the situation,” stated Abashidze.
It should be noted that the main reason for their demand is the frequent reshuffle in the Mayor’s Office; at this time, five posts of the Head of Municipal Departments, as well as the position of Governor of Vake, all remain vacant.
According to unofficial sources, soon the posts of Head of Tbilisi Ecology Service Bidzina Giorgobiani and Deputy Mayor, Giorgi Solomonia, may also become vacant.
The opposition also stated that the head of the City Sport Service, Giorgi Areshidze, who is the brother of Vice-Premier Kakhi Kaladze’s wife, will soon leave his post.
“The fuzz around the Mayor’s office is totally unfounded. We are doing and will do everything to ensure that the city government is effective and result-oriented. The vacancies in the Mayor’s Office will be taken by qualified staff in the near future. Contests were announced for three vacancies. We will continue to work on the significant challenges we face and will effectively develop our capital," stated the Mayor.
The majority also responded to the opposition’s demand regarding Mayor"s dismissal.
"The UNM complains about staff changes, but these are part of a normal process. Our opponents are trying again to impose a new problem on our population," said the Property Management and Finance-Budget Commission Chairman, Jaba Samushia.
