PM, UNM MPs Trade Accusations at Confirmation Hearing

PM Irakli Garibashvili appeared before UNM opposition lawmakers on May 7 as part of hearings in the Parliament in Kutaisi before confidence vote, which reshuffled cabinet will face on Friday.

The meeting was dominated by mutual accusations and in that regard it was not much different from Garibashvili’s two previous appearances before the opposition lawmakers as part of confirmation hearings in 2013 and 2014.

“Of course I do not hope and I do not expect either that the parliamentary minority group will properly assess the work done by our government, but I am sure that all the positive changes and reforms that we are doing will have positive effect on each and every citizen of Georgia including on you and your families,” Garibashvili said in the beginning of his opening remarks.

“I will not touch upon differences in values existing between us and I will only speak about present and future of our country. Today will show if you can look in the face of progress and acknowledge deeds done [by the current government],” he said.

Forty minutes of two-hour long hearing was the PM’s opening remarks during which he spoke about “achievements” and “progress” made by the government and brought multiple figures comparing situation in various areas ranging from infrastructure and healthcare to agriculture before and after the GD came into power, stressing on increased social spending.

His speech was dismissed by the UNM lawmakers as being out of touch with reality. They accused the PM of “speaking lies” and UNM MP Giorgi Gabashvili called the cabinet members “puppets” of ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili.

“I am not going to follow you in this demagogy,” PM was often telling opposition lawmakers during the hearing. “I am not going to respond to your lies and slander.”

As it was expected, much of the criticism was related to depreciation of Georgian currency lari, which lost about 32.5% of its value against U.S. dollar since early November 2014 when it started weakening.

Garibashvili said that “external shocks” were the main reason behind currency depreciation, but also pointed finger at the central bank. Echoing position of ex-PM Ivanishvili, Garibashvili said that the central bank should have “intervened more actively” by selling more dollars from its reserves.

The central bank sold total of USD 200 million at a foreign currency auction this year.

“The National Bank is responsibility for maintaining currency stability. On the government’s part, of course we are doing everything in order to help stabilize lari and it will start to stabilize in coming 2-3 weeks,” PM Garibashvili said.

“The issue of lari is problematic and we understand it,” he said, but also said that the government was carrying out “right policies” and it had no problem in meeting budgetary targets.

“Government’s policies caused the collapse of economy and now it is the central bank, which has to save it? That’s your logic,” UNM MP Petre Tsiskarishvili told the PM.

UNM MP Goga Khachidze told the PM: “If you can’t stop saying lies, at least stop throwing eggs” – a reference to an incident in the town of Gurjaani, when GD activists and some local officials tossed eggs at UNM members and lawmakers last month.

“It’s not nice what happened in Gurjaani, but ask yourself why you deserved it. You’ve got what you deserved,” the PM told UNM lawmakers.

When one UNM MP asked the PM “aren’t you ashamed of speaking lies”, Garibashvili responded: “Aren’t you ashamed when inmates were raped” when UNM was in power?

UNM MP Akaki Bobokhidze told the PM that instead of having a “business-like” discussion, the hearing turned into “something terrible.” “And that’s because of you,” he told the PM. “We [UNM] are paying for our mistakes and stop this rhetoric ‘you were doing this and that [when UNM was in power]’. Speak about what you are going to do tomorrow in order to bring the country out of this situation.”

“It is actually impossible to have any normal, constructive dialogue with you,” PM told UNM MPs. I regret that hearing took such form, but that’s because of you.”