Georgia’s Minister of Regional Development and Vice Prime Minister Mamuka Mdinaradze has announced that he is stepping down from his post and leaving politics. According to him, he has been “thinking about this decision for the past few weeks.”
“I have made the decision to step down from my post. In principle, from politics as well. For me, these 10 years in politics have been years of hard work, dedication to the homeland, and accomplishing major state affairs together with friends. It is true happiness to be in this service alongside the Georgian Dream team. I would like to express my immense gratitude to every fighter, every member, every leader of Georgian Dream, starting from Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili down to the rank-and-file soldier, as we are accustomed to calling each other in this big family,” Mdinaradze stated at a briefing at the government administration.
He thanked the members and leaders of Georgian Dream, including the party’s honorary chairman, Bidzina Ivanishvili. The politician added that while “some might find this hard to believe,” the decision to resign was his “absolutely sincere desire.”
“My departure from this position was indeed my personal initiative. I can also say that Mr. Irakli [Kobakhidze] and Mr. Bidzina [Ivanishvili] initially did not agree, but I convinced them that this would be better for me.”
At the same time, Mdinaradze did not rule out returning to politics — “if I am critically needed by the team and no other option remains.” However, he gave full assurance: “there will be no attempts on my part to squeeze back into politics through roundabout ways.”
“If I believed that there was no one else in our team besides me to take care of the regions, I would never have made such a decision. Yesterday evening, I held a long conversation with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, and this morning I also spoke with the party’s honorary chairman, Bidzina Ivanishvili. A thorough conversation took place between the three of us about why it is preferable for me to step aside: I have children of an age that requires attention, although from the outside this may not sound particularly convincing.”