The media focus returned to the former head of parliament Irakli Garibashvili after words by Nika Gvaramia. The opposition leader for the For Change coalition stated that the former head’s passport was confiscated, preventing him from being able to leave the country. He claims that Garibashvili is in touch with the U.S. and even shares information with them. The oppositionist further said that violence and intimidation were used against the ex-prime minister.
“The beatings are true, and the loss of passport, it’s all true. Garibashvili tried to flee the country several times. Even if they show it tomorrow, because we’re talking about it today, it doesn’t mean anything. This person was beaten, they dislocated his shoulder, they took his passport, and he is in terror,” stated Gvaramia.
The last time the former prime minister appeared in public was at the eleventh parliament’s convocation in November 2024. After that, there were only media rumors about his plans to leave the ruling party.
However, rumors began to multiply about a year ago after the reorganization during the Georgian Dream party congress on February 1st, 2024. Irakli Garibashvili left his role as prime minister and became head of the party, and the party’s head, Irakli Kobakhidze, was nominated to the head government position.
“The team has many successful leaders, and it’s necessary to give others the opportunity to prove oneself, especially now as we face new challenges with the planned fall general elections where we have to elect a new assembly of parliament,” Garibashvili stated during his speech at the convocation.
Many viewers saw this reshuffling as artificial. The opposition reacted, saying that the actual levers were still in oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili’s hands, who had at that time just returned to politics. Former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia party, for instance, said that the power in the country solely belongs to Ivanishvili, whether the face is Kobakhidze or Garibashvili.
A number of political scientists and oppositionists today aren’t ruling out a scenario where the oligarch transfers control of the ruling party to one of Kobakhidze’s loyal allies while simultaneously creating an artificial Garibashvili-led opposition. In other words, the former prime minister would lead a pseudo-opposition still under Ivanishvili’s influence, giving Ivanishvili control of two bodies at once. A year ago, Paata Manjgaladze described the restructuring as a performance aimed at deceiving voters:
“This is his form of a game […] He [Bidzina Ivanishvili] needs the game for elections, to deceive the people, if a new broom sweeps better, Irakli Kobakhidze is the old broom.”
Garibashvili’s Exit from Politics, Injuries, and the Hospital
In the next six months, Irakli Kobakhidze’s name will be associated with the various anti-democratic laws to be adopted, along with the harsh criticism of the West and international organizations. The culmination was Kobakhidze’s official statement on the suspension of Georgia’s European integration.
Amidst the violent protests that ensued, some civil servants resigned. These included diplomatic corps representatives who disagreed with the anti-Western turn, as well as mid-level members who opposed the political isolation route. In early December, television channel TV Pirveli announced Irakli Garibashvili’s leave from politics.
“According to information we received, the chairman of the Georgian Dream party is planning to state his business plans. Georgian Dream leaders proposed that Garibashvili formally stay on the team, and they asked him not to make statements amid the protests. It’s unknown what Garibashvili will decide,” TV Pirveli reported, citing its own sources.
On December 4th, Irakli Garibashvili rejected the claims: “I am continuing work as the chairman of Georgian Dream; I am a member of our team, and information from others doesn’t align with the truth.”
A few days after, Giorgi Bachiashvili, who has been close to Bidzina Ivanishvili in the past and was once called the “oligarch’s personal banker,” stated that Garibashvili “hadn’t appeared in the party’s office for over two weeks.” According to Bachiashvili, the ex-prime minister didn’t just leave the party but did so during a direct conflict with current prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze. Bachiashvili also revealed that Garibashvili was fired from the prime minister post in February 2024 due to his second refusal to initiate the foreign agent’s law.
On December 11th, Mtavari Arkhi reported that Irakli Garibashvili was in the hospital as a result of an internal party conflict. Information on the hospitalization was confirmed by the ruling party itself; however, it claimed that the politician’s injuries were from a workout.
“Obviously, this is more misinformation and a weak attempt to mislead the public. The Georgian Dream chairman dislocated his shoulder during a workout and needed minor medical assistance.”
Later, Garibashvili appeared in public, calling the rumors about his beating defamation and “disgusting lie[s].” He assured that his loyalty to the ruling party has no limits.
Garibashvili’s Forced Leave
Nika Gvaramia’s recent statements not only returned Irakli Garibashvili’s name to the agenda but became the culmination of his forcible removal from the public sphere. According to the oppositionist, the former prime minister was injured, pressured, and had his passport seized. Everything was a result of the internal conflict in Georgian Dream since Garibashvili had become irrelevant after refusing to follow Ivanishvili’s radical course.
Oppositionist politician Saba Buadze pointed out that if Ivanishvili actually creates an opposition, Garibashvili may be the head. It would be a continuation of the authorities’ strategy where they declare themselves a controlled alternative and figures like Garibashvili become “opponents” without any real conflict in the system they were once a part of.
However, as Buadze emphasizes, Garibashvili himself was the embodiment of the regime, its public face, and its spokesperson. It’s difficult to imagine he suddenly became a critic of the path he’d been promoting for years. Moreover, opposition leaders don’t see his motivation or legitimacy to play the role as an alternative to Ivanishvili: “What should Irakli Garibashvili oppose? The corruption which he himself represented?”
Oppositionist Armaz Akhvlediani believes that Bidzina Ivanishvili can pull another stunt to keep power in his hands:
“I think it’s entirely possible that Garibashvili and others will appear in these so-called new satellite opposition groups. If it’s necessary, Ivanishvili may also find himself opposing Georgian Dream. If he needs to, he’ll go there. He said that to me many years ago. […] What’s the issue? He’ll tell Garibashvili, Rizhvadze, and Liluashvili to form a new satellite opposition in some configuration.”
In the meantime, as TV Pirveli maintains, Irakli Garibashvili leads a solitary life. Kobakhidze allegedly did everything to distance the ex-prime minister from Georgian Dream, and now, he remodels his apartment, stays busy fixing furniture, and practically never leaves the house.
