Everyone who says Ivanishvili is oligarch, insulting Georgian democracy – Papuashvili

Everyone who says that the founder of the Georgia Dream (GD) ruling party Bidzina Ivanishvili is oligarch, insulting the Georgian democracy and encouraging the radical agenda of the opposition, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said Wednesday in response to recent statements by several MEPs.

MEP  Rasa Jukneviciene has stated that “If the GD failed to understand what de-oligarchization means, I will help them and tell them that de-oligarchization means de-Bidzinization, or de-Ivanishvilization.”

MEP Andrius Kubilius suggested that Ivanishvili “is the only oligarch” in Georgia, who “promoted his bodyguards” and others to top state posts.

Papuashvili said that “unfounded accusations” towards Ivanishvili and “encouraging the radical opposition,” hampered the addressing of one of the 12 priorities set by the European Commission for Georgia to receive the EU candidate status by the end of this year, referring to depolarization.

The European Commission’s recommendations also included moves for de-oligarchization. However, the GD officials said that Ivanishvili was not an oligarch.