President Giorgi Margvelashvili delivered the annual presidential speech in the Parliament of Georgia on April 7th. President Margvelashvili arrived a day earlier in Kutaisi to talk with citizens and “prepare with them” for the next day. In his speech, President Margvelashvili covered Georgia’s reforms, Presidential elections, the judiciary, the law on secret surveillance, and other topics.
Following the speech, Georgia Dream MP Giorgi Volski stated that the President’s assessments were inadequate. Members of the government of Georgia were present in parliament for the President’s speech, but are not attending the debates in parliament that follow.
Minister of Energy Kakha Kaladze said he does not understand “why debates are needed,” and that “debates should be held with the members of Parliament.” “We came, listened to the President, and we and other guests from the diplomatic corps will then leave the Parliament,” he said. Minister of Energy Kaladze commented on the President’s speech that “there was nothing new, we hear what the President always says. However, when the President comes to the Parliament where there is the Prime Minister, the government, the diplomatic corps, I thought he would be more prepared, he would go deeper into all the subjects and that he would be more objective. But we heard something different,” Energy Minister Kaladze said.
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili also expressed that he wished the President’s speech would be more deep and objective: “The President presented his views on current issues. Georgia has significant progress in numerous dimensions, such as in the judiciary, economic growth, democracy, and development of democratic institutions. This is not just in our opinion, but also according to international partners. I wanted the President’s speech to be more diverse, more deep, and more objective.”
President Giorgi Margvelashvili reiterated that in November 2016, he had told the government that “a constitutional majority [in the Parliament] raised the danger of power concentration, but that it simultaneously gave opportunity for brave reforms and initiatives. Five months later, what we have is that the possible danger turned into a serious problem, and the dynamics of reforms is not that impressive either. It is unfortunate that the ruling political force has refused to have a dialogue and has locked itself in.”
Speaking before parliament regarding a possible change from direct to indirect presidential elections, President Margvelashvili commented that “we cannot take away the right from the people to elect their President. The way we elect the President should not be dependent on the will of the current, future, or previous Prime Minister, but on people’s needs and a balanced constitution.”
The president also discussed the law on secret surveillance and emphasized the importance of citizens’ freedoms. Over the past months, the President has met with opposition parties, NGOs, and the Ombudsman of Georgia who raise their concerns about the the new legislative package on secret surveillance and the impartiality of the new surveillance agency it will create. President Margvelashvili said in his speech that he sees himself in the role of ‘Amicus Curiae,’ or Court’s friend, to “help the court in making a better decision.”
Finally, President Margvelashvili addressed Georgia’s international partners and emphasized the importance of their activeness at the next NATO summit: “I am addressing the leaders of our strategic partner countries and their representatives in our countries. Honourable ambassadors: Be our voice at the following NATO summit. European security is defined by Georgian and Black Sea security as well.”