Georgian PM replaces foreign minister with member of ruling party

Tbilisi: Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday announced the resignation of Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, and nominated Maka Bochorishvili, a member of parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream party, as a replacement.

“I present to you the candidate for foreign minister. It is Maka Bochorishvili,” Kobakhidze said during a briefing.

The Georgian parliament must approve the updated government composition by a majority vote.

He also accepted the resignation of Justice Minister Rati Bregadze and nominated Anri Okhanashvili as a potential successor.

Georgian parliamentary elections took place in late October. Following the final count of votes, the ruling Georgian Dream party received 53.93%, while four opposition coalitions and parties together made it into the parliament with 37.78% of the votes. They have refused to recognize the outcome and have demanded a new vote.