PM Kvirikashvili Says He Won’t Run for Presidency
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, January 22
(TBILISI)--Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has turned down media speculations and stated that he has no intentions to run for presidency.
He stated that he is now fully committed to implementing the government’s political agenda and participation in the presidential election scheduled in October this year would hinder the successful implementation of the government’s tasks.
“The successful implementation of the agenda requires full consolidation. Under the circumstances, nominating myself as a presidential candidate seems uninteresting to me,” said Kvirikashvili.
The media named current Health Minister David Sergeenko as one more candidate to run for presidency.
Sergeenko also dismissed the information.
Kvirikashvili has served as Prime Minister after being appointed on the position in December 2015, to replace then PM Irakli Gharibashvili.
Both Gharibashvili and Kvirikashvili were brought to politics by the founder of the Georgian Dream (GD) ruling party, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Kvirikashvili and Gharibashvili served at Ivanishvili’s Cartu Bank until 2012.
Current President Giorgi Margvelashvili was also proposed by Ivanishvili. However, later, Ivanishvili criticized him for “changing his values.”
Margvelashvili was elected in the most recent Presidential election in 2013.
It is unclear whether Margvelashvili will participate in the upcoming race or not.
After this year’s presidential election all the future presidents of the country will be elected indirectly, by a special committee of delegates, as it is written in the country’s amended constitution.
