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Ivanishvili to state he quits politics at all at party congress

TBILISI, November 24, 5:05 /ITAR-TASS/. The party Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia, which is one of six parties incorporated in the ruling coalition Georgian Dream, will hold its congress here on Sunday. At this party congress Bidzina Ivanishvili will state that he leaves the post of the honorary chairman of the party, quits the politics at all and will take a job in the public sector.

Ivanishvili has occupied the post of country’s prime minister from October 25, 2012 until November 17, 2013, and after the inauguration of new President Georgy Margvelashvili (on November 17) he performed the duties of the prime minister until the parliament approved the new prime minister (on November 20). His associate Irakly Garibashvili was approved as prime minister.

For the first time billionaire Ivanishvili stated about his coming in politics in October 2011. The party Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia was founded in April 2012 on the basis of the public movement Georgian Dream established in December 2011 and initiated by Ivanishvili. In May 2012 the coalition Georgian Dream was formed and won at the parliamentary elections on October 1, 2012 and a parliamentary candidate (Margvelashvili) has won at the presidential elections on October 27, 2013. For the last six months Ivanishvili stated many times that after the inauguration of the new president he will leave the post of the prime minister. Ivanishvili, 56, kept his promise. He resigned from the post of the prime minister and on Sunday he will state that he quits politics at all and leaves the post of the honorary chairman of the party.

Several local and foreign politicians do not believe that he will quit politics at all and believe that Ivanishvili will rule the country from the backstage. The former prime minister named the suppositions of “some part of Georgian, European and American public” absurd that he intends to influence the power after quitting the politics. He has made a statement in an open letter under the title “Post Scriptum” published in Tbilisi recently. “I never rule from the backstage, I will not permit this regarding my country and my team, which I respect very much,” Ivanishvili wrote in the letter. Ivanishvili stated that “from now on I will be an active member of the society and his activity will be absolutely transparent.” “Naturally, as an active member of the society, I will have some influence, which I do not consider shameful, but also I will try to increase it,” he noted. Ivanishvili noted that for him “the most important value is a free citizen of a free country and for making this dream come true his coming in politics was needed (in October 2011) and his quitting of politics also serves to this goal.

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