UNM Insists on Parliament Special Session to Discuss Economy

Opposition United National Movement (UNM) party has again requested President Giorgi Margvelashvili to convene a special session of the parliament with the participation of government members to debate on economic situation.

Repeat request comes after president’s office said last week that the government failed to meet its deadline of March 5 to present a detailed plan on how to tackle depreciation of Georgian currency lari amid economic slowdown. The government, which plans to cut administrative spending to limit increase of budgetary deficit as economic growth is expected to slow from initial target of 5% to 2%, instructed on March 5 state agencies to present their administrative spending cut schemes before March 16.

When late last month UNM first asked the President to hold the special session of the parliament, the request was declined; President Margvelashvili cited the need to give the government more time at least till March 5 to present its detailed plan. The session, as envisaged by the law, was anyway convened on February 28, but not held because of lack of quorum as lawmakers from the GD parliamentary majority boycotted it. After a failure to hold special session, UNM announced about protest rally in Tbilisi center for March 21 to demand government’s resignation.

Another parliamentary opposition party, Free Democrats, led by ex-defense minister Irakli Alasania, also supports holding of a special parliamentary session on economic situation. FD also want to summon central bank chief, Giorgi Kadagidze, at the session.

GD parliamentary majority leader, MP Davit Saganelidze, dismissed opposition’s request for a special parliament session as UNM’s attempt to “turn parliament chamber into stage of demagoguery.” Another senior GD lawmaker, Eka Beselia, said: “Debates and political statement will not help to appreciate lari.”

Later on Monday afternoon Parliament speaker Davit Usupashvili said at a parliamentary bureau session 9 that “a committee hearing will be held by the end of this week with participation of economic team of the government” to discuss the economic situation in the country.

Usupashvili said that he spoke with economic committee chairman GD MP Zurab Tkemaladze and Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri and agreed to hold the hearing this week. He also said that the exact date will be known after Economy Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili returns from his visit to China.