Saakashvili Meets Ruling Party, Following Speaker’s Salvo

President Saakashvili is meeting senior lawmakers from his ruling party this evening in an attempt to sort out differences triggered by Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze?s disapproval of the central bank chief’s nomination.

President Saakashvili is expected to make a live televised address after the meeting.

Burjanadze, who lashed out at the Executive on September 4 for nominating the ex-finance minister, Lexo Alexishvili, as the central bank chief, is also present at the meeting.

The controversy has split the ruling majority in the parliament, with some siding with Burjanadze, while others argue that Alexishvili is an acceptable nominee.

?I think Alexishvili?s nomination should at least be discussed,? MP Pavle Kublashvili from the ruling party said on September 5.

Most members of the ruling party, however, seem confused, with many failing to adapt a clear cut position on the issue.

Some lawmakers from the ruling party have already tried to down play the issue. ?I do not think the president will focus on this matter at the meeting,? MP Nino Kalandadze said. ?This meeting was planned long before [Burjanadze?s statement] and the cabinet reshuffle will top the agenda of the meeting.?

Nino Nakashidze, a lawmaker with close links to Burjanadze, said that the parliamentary chairperson?s statement should not be perceived as ?a sign of division? within the ruling majority.

?Her only intention was to protect the legislative body institutionally,? she told Mze TV on September 5, referring to Burjanadze?s complaint that Parliament and its speaker should not have been sidelined in the consultations prior to the cabinet reshuffle.

Burjanadze said on September 4 that it was ?inadmissible? that the parliamentary chairperson hadn’t been ?thoroughly involved in the consultations on such a serious issue concerning the cabinet reshuffle.?

Georgian media outlets, however, have suggested that the real reason behind Burjanadze?s salvo was because her favored candidate for the position had been overlooked by the Executive.

Alexishvili?s candidacy was pushed for by PM Zurab Nogaideli, the daily Rezonansi said on September 5, while Burjanadze tried to have her ally, MP Irakli Kovzanadze, the chairman of the parliamentary committee for budgetary and financial issues, endorsed.

The newspaper speculated that Burjanadze’s unusually tough-worded statement had in fact the backing of President Saakashvili. ?Now it seems that Parliament will probably reject PM Nogaideli?s nomination for the position of central bank chief,? Rezonansi wrote.

In accordance with the law, the parliament has still to approve the resignation of Roman Gotsiridze, the incumbent central bank chief and then approve a new nomination. With Burjanadze’s public outburst it is still unclear when this process will begin.

Georgian media sources reported that this evening’s meeting with President Saakashvili would also be attended by PM Nogaideli and new would-be ministers to discuss the reshuffled cabinet?s new programme. The programme itself has also become a point of contention, with Burjanadze criticizing it as ?mostly a list of intentions and declarations.?

?I would be glad if the government were more serious in its attitude towards Parliament and submitted a more serious programme,? she said.

Burjanadze’s remarks reflected in large part comments made by opposition lawmakers, who have described the cabinet?s new programme as ?a wish-list? and ?a toast? with no concrete action plan involved.

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