Georgian PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili resigns after antigovernment protestsJune 14, 2018 - 10:33 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced his resignation after a series of antigovernment protests shook the capital, Tbilisi, RFE/RL reports. Kvirikashvili made the announcement on Wednesday, June 13, citing "disagreements" with the leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, as a reason for his decision. "I think this is the moment now when the leader of the party should be given an opportunity to form a new cabinet," he also said in his televised statement. Kvirikashvili, 50, has been prime minister since December 2015. He was nominated for the post by Georgia's parliamentary majority, dominated by tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream party. Kvirikashvili's decision triggers the resignation of the whole cabinet. Under the constitution, the ruling party will have to submit a new cabinet list to President Giorgi Margvelashvili within a week. Margvelashvili then will have a further seven days to submit the new cabinet to parliament for approval. A wave of demonstrations started on May 31 to protest against what demonstrators said was a miscarriage of justice following the killing of two teenagers in December. The protests stopped after June 6, but resumed on June 10 and ended on June 11 with police dismantling protesters' tents and detaining opposition politicians and their supporters. The demonstrations followed a series of rallies held in May by hundreds of people who took to Tbilisi streets and erected tent camps to protest an antidrug raid by police on two popular nightclubs, angered by what critics called an excessive use of force against club-goers. They also came after mass street rallies in neighboring Armenia helped force the resignation of the prime minister and led to protest leader Nikol Pashinian being voted in by parliament as the new premier. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |