Georgia’s ruling party nominates prime minister

The ruling Georgian Dream party has nominated Mamuka Bakhtadze as candidate for the post of prime minister today. In a speech, Bakhtadze stated that he adhered to three principles:

“The first is to fulfill the historic choice of the Georgian people and ensure the complete integration of Georgia into the Euro-Atlantic space. In this direction, Georgian Dream has had great successes, which should be strengthened and improved upon. The second is innovative and fundamental reforms in all areas. Thanks to these reforms, we will be able to form a new economic model with new fair rules that will benefit every family and every citizen. We will be able to narrow the gap between the high standards of democracy and the state of the economy. The third principle is the concept of a small government. Georgia needs a small government, but at the same time mobile and efficient government departments. Furthermore, I consider it expedient to strengthen the institutional and public control over these departments in regards to the anti-corruption component.”

Georgian Dream nominated a new prime minister after Giorgi Kvirikashvili resigned from the post on 13 June, citing fundamental disagreements with the chairman of the party, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Bakhtadze was Minister of Finance since 2017, and prior to that the General Director of Georgian Railways. Bakhtadze, while serving as Minister of Finance, was an ardent critic of Georgia’s banking sector. He also touched on the topic of additional regulations for banks.

Who is Mamuka Bakhtadze?

Half of the country’s population knows nothing about the candidate. According to the latest study by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), only 43 per cent of the respondents knew who Mamuka Bakhtadze was and 55 per cent have never heard his name.

The candidate holds a Doctoral degree in Technical Science. He graduated from both the Tbilisi State University and the Georgian Technical University. Bakhtadze also holds a Master’s degree from Moscow Lomonosov State University. In 2010 he received an MBA from the French operated European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD).

According to the Georgian media, Bakhtadze, while General Director of the International Energy Corporation, donated GEL 20 thousand in 2012 to the election campaign of the United National Movement, the party opposed to the now ruling Georgian Dream.

The media also wrote that Bakhtadze is a friend of Uta Ivanishvili, the son of the leader of the ruling party. However, he denied this information, saying that he was not familiar with any of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s sons.