Lado Bitchashvili, Shida Kartli
Gori municipality deputy mayor Aleksi Mariamidze sent resignation-application to the mayor Konstantine Tavzarashvili on February 8 and the mayor satisfied the application next day.
Members of the political party United National Movement believe the deputy mayor became victim of internal conflict between local public officials.
“The group, which lobbied Mariamidze, lost its influence both in the central authority and ruling party. The latter rudely interferes in the activities of local self-government,” Ramaz Chutkerashvili of the UNM told humanrights.ge.
The members of the municipal assembly from the ruling party did not expect resignation of the deputy mayor.
“There is no controversy in the assembly and it cannot be in the mayor’s administration either,” the chairperson of the Gori municipality assembly Davit Razmadze said.
Konstantine Tavzarashvili delayed appointment of the deputies for several days after he was elected to the position. According to that time information, the elected mayor wanted to appoint Aleksi Mariamidze to the position of the first deputy but the interests of the mayor, regional governor and the ruling party did not coincide and Gela Kapanadze was appointed to the position of the first deputy; Mariamidze was third deputy.
Konstantine Tavzarashvili clarified that the deputy mayor quitted the job due to family conditions. “We had no conflict; he left job because of family conditions.”
The former deputy mayor Aleksi Mariamidze said the opposition members exaggerate the situation and confirms that he left job because of family conditions.