The Daily Beat: 21 December
Former PM Giorgi Gakharia’s “For Georgia” party called the GD authorities to transfer jailed ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili from a hospital ward to a penitentiary establishment, citing Saakashvili’s active engagement in Georgian politics and good health. Lawmakers from the “For Georgia” party also accused the GD authorities of using Saakashvili’s political activity for its own purposes, intentionally making a scarecrow of him. Later in the day, the director of the Viva Medi hospital commented on the ex-president’s possible transfer to a penitentiary establishment, saying Saakashvili’s health condition requires his medical monitoring and hospital stay.
Kremlin’s Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, commented on Georgia’s EU candidate status, saying it was done to annoy Russia. “The European integration of Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova is absolutely their sovereign business. But here, the politicization of this decision is obvious. Unfortunately, every time, the desire to demonstrate such political will is done largely out of a desire to annoy Russia even more and antagonize these countries towards Russia,” Peskov told pro-Kremlin media outlet Izvestia.
In a freshly baked opinion, the Venice Commission assessed the amendments to the Electoral Code and the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure on the composition of the Central Electoral Commission and the election of its (non-partisan) members as a step in the right direction but also indicated the need for their development as well as addressing previous recommendations. The Venice Commission’s Opinion triggered mixed reactions both from the ruling party and the opposition. The Georgian Dream party criticized the findings, citing a lack of legal arguments, while the opposition, in turn, expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s efforts. Following this exchange, the CEC issued a statement denying the opposition’s allegations.
In an interview with Rustavi 2 TV, Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili announced that starting in 2024, the Early Cancer Screening Program will be added to the public health insurance scheme. “As soon as any type of cancer is suspected, the final diagnosis will be made in specific clinics, and the public health insurance will cover the costs,” said the Minister. In a separate announcement on the same day, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze pledged that from January 2024, Tbilisi City Hall will cover the “Breast Cancer Medicines Program” in full, 100% for all the beneficiaries. The launch of such healthcare programs almost certainly indicates the kick-off of the election year in Georgia.
A publication by German Tagesschau suggests that the Georgian government rejected the initial proposal of the German side to expand the Western Balkans Regulation to Georgia, enabling Georgians to have much easier access to the German labor market. “From the German perspective, a sensible move – but for Georgia, this idea was completely uninteresting,” – the article reads. The Interior Ministry denied the information on rejecting the German proposal, calling it misinformation and adding that the “Balkan model” was not part of the discussions.
