MP Popkhadze explains his decision to quit Georgian Dream
By Tea Mariamidze
Tuesday, February 26
Former member of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party Gedevan Popkhadze held a press conference on Monday, where he explained the reasons for leaving the majority.
“I have repeatedly expressed my position on the political processes ongoing in the Georgian Dream and I had a feeling that my resource was running out in terms of influencing political decisions. I think it was no longer logical to stay in the Georgian Dream,” the MP said.
Popkhadze noted that he addressed the Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia, as well as the head of the parliamentary majority and the Georgian Dream faction with an official application about leaving the party on Friday.
According to the MP, the main reason why he quit was a difference of opinions within the team.
“The first was that we had substantial, ideological differences and the second was that I had no opportunity to express a different position”, the MP said.
Popkhadze also criticized some of his former teammates, saying they have “zero democracy” and that they “serve others.”
“I believe that the degree of democracy in the country directly depends on the degree of democracy within the ruling team, which is zero,” he said, adding he still has many friends in the majority.
The MP believes that these “decent people” remain in the team because they believe that they can influence the ongoing negative process.
“But I have lost that hope. I think I should have taken this decision a bit earlier”, the MP said.
Before making the decision Popkhadze told media that even if he stayed in the GD party, they would dismiss him anyway.
He added that his decision was connected to the recent controversial developments in the judiciary system.
Before Popkhadze, the MPs Eka Beselia and Levan Gogichaishvili quit the GD. They made the decision after the Parliament of Georgia voted against the bill on common courts signed by her and eight other lawmakers which referred to the suspension of appointment of judges for life tenure.
Mirian Tsiklauri is another MP who might leave the parliamentary majority but he has not made any official statement yet.
After three members quit GD, the party has 111 MPs in the Parliament, thus losing its constitutional majority, which is 113 seats.
Parliament Vice-Speaker and member of the GD, Gia Volsky says he’s not expecting that more MPs will leave the majority.
“The recent developments in the majority are normal and they do not indicate anything new. Some people have different views, some other political aims, so it is a normal process,” he said.
