The Daily Beat: 29 March
President Salome Zurabishvili criticized the Foreign Ministry for failing to facilitate the exercise of voting rights by a large number of Georgian emigrants. President delivered her critical remarks during the meeting with the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Giorgi Kalandarishvili, and the representatives of the Public Defender’s Office, CSOs, and the EU delegation to Georgia.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze shielded the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, describing the president’s critical remarks towards the CEC and its chairperson as an effort to sabotage and undermine the upcoming parliamentary elections. According to PM Kobakhidze, President Zurabishvili, linked to radical opposition, has no moral right to speak about parliamentary elections.
Speaking before the reporters, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze admitted that he is in regular contact with Bidzina Ivanishvili, further adding that Ivanishvili, as honorary chairman and chief political adviser of the Georgian Dream party, is fully involved in political processes.
The Data of the Day
National Statistics Office released rapid estimates, indicating that the country’s estimated real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate amounted to 9.5% for February 2024 compared to the same period of the previous year. According to the Statistics Office, manufacturing, construction, professional scientific and technical activities, information and communication, transportation, and storage are cited among the sectoral activities contributing to GDP growth.
