President Margvelashvili Says He had Warned Gov’t About Problems
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, October 31
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, whose presidency ends as soon as the new president is inaugurated, says that he had warned the government about problems and difficulties they would face in the future.
“I have been openly telling the Georgian Dream what was to be done and where they have made mistakes for five years,” Margvelashvili said at a special press conference late on Monday, responding to the results of 28 October presidential elections, in which the ruling party supported candidate failed to win in the first round and was nearly defeated by the opposition candidate.
Margvelashvili, who was nominated as the president for the 2013 presidential elections by the Georgian Dream, stated that his views have always been criticized by the ruling team.
"In my opinion, I had been openly telling our citizens and, first of all, the government what was politically correct and what was wrong, including through the media. My mission is coming to an end, now they can read the messages sent by the society,” Margvelashvili said.
When asked what would happen if he had taken part in the elections, the president said it was difficult to talk hypothetically.
"However, in 2013, with the support of the Georgian Dream and with half of the financial resources spent by the Georgian Dream in those elections, under the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili, when none of the district administrations belonged to us, we received 62%“, Margvelashvili said.
Margvelashvili has refused to run for the second term. Shortly after he was elected, in 2013, his relations with Ivanishvili tensed. As Margvelashvili has stated he did not do what “one” wanted and this became a reason of controversy between him and Ivanishvili and then with the whole party.
The founder of the Georgian Dream, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili claimed that Margvelashvili “showed a different mood and attitudes” after being elected as the president.
