Billionaire Takes Over As Georgia's Prime Minister
(Vatican Radio)-- Georgia's parliament has approved a billionaire as the country's
new prime minister and endorsed his government, following the recent October 1 parliamentary
elections. Bidzina Ivanishvili began his first official full working day Friday,
after lawmakers voted 88-54 for his cabinet. Yet, Ivanishvili will have to work with
his political rival President Mikhail Saakashvili for the first year of the new government.
When Saakashvili's second and final term ends in October 2013, a constitutional reform
will transfer many of the president's powers to the prime minister. In an earlier
interview, the 55-year-old businessman-turned politician made clear however that he
would not act as an autocratic leader.
AMAZING EUROPE
"I have no intention
to stop the process that I started," Ivanishvili said. He said he would use his Georgian
Dream coalition's majority in parliament to in his words "create such a democracy
in Georgia that may well amaze Europe."
Ivanishvili made clear this week that
he wants to leave politics in a year and a half. However, "I am going to remain one
of the most active members of the civil sector and together with the civil society,
I will control the government,” he told legislators.
"Our society must learn
how to control their elected government."
Ivanishvili, who made his fortune
in Russia, said he wants to use his tenure as prime minister to improve relations
with Moscow, which have been strained since the two former Soviet countries fought
a brief war in August 2008. He also vowed to continue Saakashvili's course to integrate
more closely with the West. Ivanishivili told reporters that Georgia still aspires
to join the European Union and the NATO military alliance.
US ALLY
While
he wants to have closer ties with Russia, Ivanishvili made clear that "the United
States remains Georgia's main ally."
Ivanishvili has several pro-Western ambassadors
among his ministers in an attempt to ease concerns he will drift away from Georgia's
pro-Western course. Even former AC Milan star Kakha Kaladze has a job again: he was
named regional development minister and as the second deputy prime minister. While
the government is a mix of liberals and radical nationalists, analysts say they are
united by their dislike of President Saakashvili, whose party lost the October elections.
It marks the first time in Georgia's post-Soviet history that a government changed
not through a revolution but via the ballot box.