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Candidate for Georgian PM to become ruling party’s political secretary — faction leader

The changes will be decided at a party meeting on February 1

TBILISI, January 29. /TASS/. Irakli Kobakhidze, who is expected to succeed Irakli Garibashvili as Georgia’s prime minister, will also become political secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party, leader of the ruling party’s parliamentary faction, Mamuka Mdinaradze, said.

"The changes are: Irakli Garibashvili has already been nominated as the party leader, Irakli Kobakhidze is no longer the leader of the party," he said, adding that Kobakhizde will take the position of political secretary of the party’s political council.

Mdinaradze also confirmed that Kobakhidze is being considered for the position of prime minister. Everything will be decided at a party meeting on February 1.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said earlier in the day that he was stepping down and was looking at taking on a role as the ruling party leader.

The Imedi television channel reported on Monday that the ruling party’s political council had decided that Kobakhidze would replace Garibashvili as prime minister and that Garibashvili would become the party leader instead of Kobakhidze.

Kobakhidze has headed the Georgian Dream party since 2021, while Garibashvili has been Georgian Prime Minister since February 2021. This was his stint in office after being prime minister in 2013-2015. Back then, he was the ruling party’s political secretary too.

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