TOL Georgia

Burjanadze leaves the National Movement

April 24th, 2008 by jibs

In a surprise twist, the parliament speaker and the leader of the ruling National Movement Nino Burjanadze left the Georgian politics. She was going to top the National movement party list for the upcoming parliamentary elections, but because “it was not possible to reach consensus in the compilation of the National Movement’s party list”, she announced her retirement.

Burjanadze has been widely considered as the moderate and constructive voice within Saakashvili’s administration. They way she explained her move suggests that she was unhappy at the role she held within the party — that is, she didn’t like her marginal influence.

It is therefore expected that Burjanadze will not vanish from the political scene and will either create her own party or find her place in the ministers’ cabinet. One thing to take into consideration is business interests of her allies: if she switches side, her former allies are likely to come under examination of relevant establishments (former defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili’s experience shows how soon that can take place).

While this is a question of speculation how and when Burjanadze will reemerge on the political scene, one thing is certain: the National Movement lost an popular member.

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