President Convenes Parliament Special Session on Economy

President Giorgi Margvelashvili has convened a special session of Parliament to be held on March 13 to discuss “measures for stabilization” of the national currency lari, president’s office said on Tuesday.

President’s decision comes after parliamentary opposition parties Free Democrats (FD) and United National Movement (UNM) asked Margvelashvili to convene the session.

Decision has angered Georgian Dream (GD) parliamentary majority, which is against of holding an extraordinary parliamentary session. Instead GD has summoned ministers of economy and finance, Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Nodar Khaduri, at a hearing of parliamentary committee on economy later this week – tentatively also for March 13 – to discuss government’s plan on how it plans to tackle lari depreciation and economic slowdown.

Vice speaker of parliament from GD ruling coalition, MP Manana Kobakhidze, said that a committee hearing would be more appropriate venue for discussing the issue rather than special session of the Parliament.

Finance Minister, Nodar Khaduri, said, when asked about the President’s decision and whether he would participate in the special session, that “taking part in a political show” will not help to stabilize currency.

When late last month UNM first asked the President to hold the special session of the parliament, the request was declined; Margvelashvili cited the need to give the government more time at least till March 5 to present its detailed plan. Although President turned down the request, 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. If GD MPs again boycott, the special parliamentary session will not be held on March 13 either.
 
A group of GD lawmakers and the President were planning a meeting on March 10 on unrelated issue – to discuss developments related to Georgia’s breakaway regions, but the meeting was canceled after the President’s decision to convene a special session of the Parliament.

President’s spokesperson, Tinatin Mzhavanadze, said that the meeting was “postponed upon the request” of GD parliamentary majority leader, MP Davit Saganelidze. GD parliamentary majority said in a written statement that the meeting was “postponed upon mutual agreement.”