Ex-Pres Saakashvili criticises alleged relocation of state bodies to Arsenali hill

Georgia’s third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, has criticised the government over the alleged relocation of state institutions, saying that representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party were continuing what he described as a “competition” with him, but doing so incompetently.

In a post on social media on Monday, Saakashvili said that while decisions made during his presidency to relocate key institutions had strategic and symbolic purposes, the current government’s actions were driven by different motives.

According to Saakashvili, the decision to move Parliament to Kutaisi was based on a clear strategic vision aimed at strengthening the regions, expanding the country’s development beyond the capital, transforming Kutaisi into a fully functioning city, and bringing the centre of government closer to the Russian-controlled Abkhazia region.

He also recalled the relocation of the Constitutional Court to Batumi, describing it as having strong political and symbolic significance following what he called the “defeat of Aslan Abashidze”.

By contrast, Saakashvili argued that the transfer of what he referred to as “Georgian Dream bodies” to the Arsenali Hill area served a single purpose.

“The only intention behind moving this circus of institutions to Arsenali Hill is to seize central territories for yet another mediocre development and to make hundreds of millions,” Saakashvili wrote.