GD Cabinet Reshuffled
On April 2, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced changes in the GD cabinet.
Grigol Lilushvili, who has been the head of Georgia’s State Security Service since 2019, will head the new ministry Ministry of Regional Development, which will split from the current Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure.
Kobakhidze said that Lilushvili’s term as head of the SSSG would expire in October. “He [Grigol Liluashvili] has special experience in working with regions. Therefore, his ministry will ensure effective work of the Georgian government in achieving regional development goals,” Kobakhidze said, thanking Liluashvili for his “highly successful” work for the SSSG. “Against the backdrop of very difficult challenges, he has made a significant contribution to ensuring and strengthening Georgia’s national security over the past six years,” he added.
Irakli Karseladze will remain the head of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Kobakhidze confirmed.
Anri Okhanashvili, now GD’s Minister of Justice, will head the State Security Service, replacing Liluashvili in that post. Before becoming the Minister of Justice of Georgia, Okhanashvili was the head of the Legal Issues Committee of the Georgian Parliament.
Okhanashvili’s current role as Minister of Justice will be assumed by Paata Salia, currently a GD MP in the essentially a one-party parliament. Salia is the former director of the now pro-GD TV Rustavi 2.
Natia Mezvrishvili, spokeswoman for the opposition party Gakharia for Georgia, commented to the new appointments saying that effectively the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) will continue operating under the name of the Ministry of Regional Development, and its former chief, Grigol Liluashvili, “will remain the real head of it.” She suggested that the ruling party is restructuring the cabinet with an eye on the upcoming local elections, aiming to tighten its grip on the regions.
Former Defense Minister in the Georgian Dream cabinet Tinatin Khidasheli (2015-2016) echoed a similar assessment, arguing that the Georgian Dream is effectively creating a “Ministry of Elections” under the guise of a Ministry of Regional Development. She also suggested that the ruling party hopes to “sell” these changes within the SSSG to foreign observers. Commenting on the transfer of Anri Okhanashvili from the Ministry of Justice to the SSSG, Khidasheli suggests that by this appointment Bidzina Ivanishvili is entrusting the system and its responsibilities to Irakli Kobakhidze.
Also Read:
- 25/11/2024 – PM Kobakhidze Nominates Three New Cabinet Members
- 25/09/2024 – GD’s Longest-Serving Minister, Tsulukiani, Resigns
- 18/10/2024 – New Culture Minister Appointed, GD Says it Plans to Separate Sports Ministry After Elections
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