MP Beselia calls confrontation between her and Georgian Dream MP Zardiashvili “provocation”
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Friday, September 27
Independent MP Eka Beselia and member of Georgian Dream Parliamentary Majority, Vano Zardiashvili had an argument at the sitting of the Legal Committee, where the candidate of the Supreme Court, Miranda Eremadze was being heard.
The confrontation followed a Zardiashvili replica where "Beselia's Morality" was heard. David Mathikashvili, the chairman of the session, demanded that Beselia leave the hall with the following words: "The MP must be distinguished by their dignity and the way you behave is not right.”
As Beselia said with the reporters, this was a “cheap and planned” provocation. According to her, Zardiashvili was there only to provoke the situation. Beselia says that she “responded to Zardiashvili’s provocation,” and she is not going to apologize. Also, she noted that everyone who "does so will get the same answer."
According to Beselia, very hard and critical questions were being asked to Eremadze, who, as Beselia says, is “favored by the clan.” As MP noted, Zardiashvili used this provocation to “save the candidate from the hard questions.”
“I have nothing to do with that person. Of course, no one should react to his provocations, but I’m not going to ignore his insults,” said Beselia.
Beselia warns Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the Georgian Dream, that if he continues working with Zardiashvili and others like him, he should "wait for the answers he will receive". The MP says that "Zardiashvili and the Georgian Dream are the same today and this is the most vicious form of the past.”
“If Ivanishvili and Georgian Dram thinks that they can manage to get away with these judges they are mistaken. We will use every tool that we have to oppose this process. It will be physical, moral or legal resistance,” said Beselia.
Georgian Dream MP Sopho Kiladze criticized Beselia after the incident at the Parliament's Legal Committee. “This kind of behavior is unacceptable from not only an MP but from anyone really… I don’t know what to call it when a member of the Parliament does something like this from such a high tribunal,” noted Kiladze.
MPs of the Georgian Dream, Davit Matikashvili and Rati Ionatamishvili are calling on Eka Beselia to resign from the parliament due to the controversy.
Ionatamishvili said that Beselia's behavior was unworthy and shameful and that she "showed her real face to everyone".
"As for Zardiashvili, we know for how long he has been under pressure, how many abusive statements have been made against him, his family, Vano has given us an example of patience in this regard, he never acted on a provocation," the Ionatamishvili said.
Davit Matikashvili says that Beselia provoked the situation today. "She has been out of the active political field for a long time. The public is no longer interested in Beselia and she is trying her best to gain relevance," noted Matikashvili.
Vano Zardiashvili has been a member of the Georgian Dream party since the 2016 parliamentary elections. Before that, he served as a First Deputy Auditor General for three years in the State Audit Office.
During the United National Movement's rule, from 2004 to 2012, Vano Zardiashvili worked at the Ministry of Justice at various times, was Assistant to the Minister of Security, Advisor to the Prosecutor General, he also worked at the Tbilisi City Hall.
