Irakli Kobakhidze, the nominee for the position of Prime Minister, presented the Cabinet of Ministers and the governmental program for a vote of confidence at the Parliament.

Kobakhidze started his speech by expressing gratitude to the Georgian people and Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

According to Kobakhidze, the Georgian people showed unprecedented wisdom and, despite challenges, firmly stood on the side of peace and development.

“I extend my gratitude to the Georgian people. The mandate they confer upon us today is grounded in their trust in the Georgian Dream during the parliamentary elections,” he expressed.

He credited Ivanishvili for the democratic transition, economic progress, and European integration of Georgia.

“Bidzina Ivanishvili steered the country’s economic policy in the right direction. Following 2012, despite two global and regional economic crises, the Georgian economy surged from GEL 27 billion to GEL 80 billion. The country’s consolidated budget rose from GEL 8.5 billion to GEL 28.7 billion.

Unprecedented expansion of social security programs occurred, including a universal healthcare initiative, an objective criteria-based social assistance system, and a substantial increase in the country’s social budget.

All these achievements resulted from the democratic transition, marked improvements in human rights protection and political pluralism, and the depoliticization of the court and law enforcement structures, coupled with the establishment of media pluralism.

Furthermore, since the democratic transition of 2012, Georgia has made unparalleled progress in European integration—signing the Association Agreement and Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, obtaining a visa-free travel regime, and earning the status of a candidate country for EU membership last year,” expressed Kobakhidze.

Kobakhidze acknowledged the contributions of Irakli Garibashvili, the outgoing Prime Minister, to maintaining peace and stability, especially during challenging times such as the global pandemic and regional conflicts.

“His tenure as the prime minister coincided with the global pandemic, an artificially created political crisis in Georgia, and the war in Ukraine, presenting substantial challenges in terms of security and the economy. Despite this, our country successfully maintained peace and stability. Georgia’s nominal economy nearly doubled in dollar terms over three years, and under Irakli Garibashvili’s leadership as the head of the Georgian government, the nation achieved the status of a candidate for EU membership, marking his significant contribution,” stated Irakli Kobakhidze.

During his speech, the PM nominee emphasized the systemic crimes committed by the previous government and the positive changes brought about since 2012.

Expressing respect for the Parliament of Georgia, Kobakhidze assured that, as the head of the government, he would uphold the democratic and constitutional values of the institution. He thanked the parliamentary team of Georgian Dream for their collaboration and highlighted the achievements in strengthening the legislative body and promoting democratic development.

Kobakhidze extended wishes for the unification, strengthening, and revival of Georgia’s spirituality and culture on the day commemorating Davit Aghmashenebeli.