Opposition Parties Replaced the Majority in the Management of the Gori City Council

Lado Bitchashvili, Shida Kartli

Impeachment of the City Council Chairman Papuna Koberidze was the first question on the agenda of the February 5 session of the Council. Koberidze addressed the commission chairmen, whose impeachment was also requested, not to participate in the polls. The commission chairmen accepted his suggestion and boycotted the impeachment procedures. 8 out of 15 council members voted for the impeachment; 7 of them are members of the opposition parties Free Democrats, Georgian Party and United National Movement. The eighth decisive vote belonged to Ioseb Palelashvili, who quitted Georgian Dream – Democrat Georgia short time ago.

“I would like to underline again that democratic process is going on in the country and today’s session proves it again. Similar fact would have never happened during the previous government. So, it is the main achievement of our 2012 victory. However, it is another issue of concern, what is hidden behind this democracy. Several political parties unite to change the authority and share positions. I will continue work as an ordinary member of the city council,” the former chairman of the Gori City Council Papuna Koberidze said.

There were 25 questions on the agenda of the February 5 session. The 22nd of it was declaration of mistrust to Nino Zurabishvili, deputy chair of the city council; however Zurabishvili quitted position earlier than the opposition voted for resignation.

“Coalition Georgian Dream became minority in the council very soon. We all witnessed dirty game. It is a battle for positions and high salaries. The vote of our former team-member became decisive in it, which is very bad. It is a pity that Georgian Dream has so many betrayers. Everybody should be judged according to his/her behavior. The more betrayers leave the party the better for our future activities,” former deputy chairperson Nino Zurabishvili said.

Ioseb Palelashvili responded to the statement of his former party-mate Nino Zurabishvili. 

“The city and Gori residents know better who betrayers are. Everybody knows me and Nino Zurabishvili too. At the previous session they said neither Georgian Dream nor the city council had lost any resource with my decision. However, as we see now, I had a key role,” Ioseb Palelashvili.

After Zurabishvili’s resignation the eldest member of the City Council Vano Chkhikvadze continued chairing the session. He was chairman of one of the fractions in the Council but the council members suspended his authority too.

The opposition members will present new candidates on the leading positions in the City Council in near future. Tamar Tedliashvili, member of the City Council from Free Democrats, does not make concrete statements who will occupy the position of the chairman.

“We have fixed timeframe to present new candidates so I will refrain from naming concrete person, who we intend to nominate for the position of the council chair; however, we already have the candidate,” Tamar Tedliashvili said.

In parallel to the impeachment of 6 senior officials of the City Council, the Council approved the 2016 Budget for Gori.