TBILISI -- Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced his resignation after a series of antigovernment protests shook the capital, Tbilisi.

Kvirikashvili made the announcement on June 13, citing "disagreements" with the leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, as a reason for his decision.

"I think this is the moment now when the leader of the party should be given an opportunity to form a new cabinet," he also said in his televised statement.

Kvirikashvili, 50, has been prime minister since December 2015.

He was nominated for the post by Georgia's parliamentary majority, dominated by tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream party.

Kvirikashvili's decision triggers the resignation of the whole cabinet.

Under the constitution, the ruling party will have to submit a new cabinet list to President Giorgi Margvelashvili within a week. Margvelashvili then will have a further seven days to submit the new cabinet to parliament for approval.

A wave of demonstrations started on May 31 to protest against what demonstrators said was a miscarriage of justice following the killing of two teenagers in December.

The protests stopped after June 6, but resumed on June 10 and ended on June 11 with police dismantling protesters' tents and detaining opposition politicians and their supporters.

The demonstrations followed a series of rallies held in May by hundreds of people who took to Tbilisi streets and erected tent camps to protest an antidrug raid by police on two popular nightclubs, angered by what critics called an excessive use of force against club-goers.

They also came after mass street rallies in neighboring Armenia helped force the resignation of the prime minister and led to protest leader Nikol Pashinian being voted in by parliament as the new premier.

With reporting by Reuters

</s>Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili resigned on Wednesday amid a disagreement with the leader of his ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is the richest man in the ex-Soviet republic.

“We’ve had some disagreements with the leader of the ruling party,” Kvirikashvili said in a televised statement. “I think this is the moment now when the leader of the party should be given an opportunity to form a new cabinet.”

Kvirikashvili, 50, has been prime minister since 2015. Under the constitution, the whole cabinet has to resign along with the prime minister.

The ruling party, Georgian Dream, must then submit a new cabinet list to Georgia’s president within seven days. President Giorgi Margvelashvili then has a further seven days to submit the new cabinet to parliament for approval.

Ivanishvili, 62, a former prime minister, made a political comeback in May, becoming again the chairman of Georgian Dream amid tensions among party members over a range of issues.

His Georgian Dream coalition won control of parliament in October 2012, defeating the party of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, leader of the 2003 Rose Revolution.

Ivanishvili’s coalition later split, but Georgian Dream won a parliamentary election in 2016, cementing its status as the ruling party in the country of 3.7 million people.

Ivanishvili stepped down from the posts of prime minister and party chairman in 2013, though critics say he has continued to run the country from behind the scenes.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>The prime minister of Georgia says he has decided to step down, citing differences within the ruling party, AP reports.

Giorgi Kvirikashvili said Wednesday that he and the leader of the ruling Georgian Dream Party, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, disagreed over economic issues. He wouldn’t elaborate.

In recent weeks, Kvirikashvili and his Cabinet have been targets of protests sparked by a court ruling over the December killings of two teenagers in Tbilisi. Protesters accuse the Cabinet and prosecutors of handling the investigation poorly and were calling for Kvirikashvili’s resignation.

It will be up to the parliament controlled by Georgian Dream to name the new prime minister.</s>Georgia's Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili resigned on Wednesday amid a disagreement with the leader of the ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is a former prime minister and the ex-Soviet country's richest man.

"We've had some disagreements with the leader of the ruling party," Kvirikashvili said in a televised statement. "I think there is a moment now when the leader of the (ruling) party should be given an opportunity to staff a new cabinet."

Kvirikashvili, 50, has been prime minister since 2015.

Since May 31 Georgian capital Tbilisi has seen thousands of people turn out onto the streets over accusations of political influence into a murder trial.

According to RIA Novosti news agency the meeting began after a court allowed a reduction in the charge of a participant in the fight whose father previously served in the general prosecutor's office.

Following Georgian prosecutor general's resignation, several thousand protestors gathered in front of the parliament where they demanded the resignation of the government.

Under the constitution, the whole cabinet has to resign along with the prime minister.

The ruling party, Georgian Dream, must then submit a new cabinet list to Georgia's president within seven days. President Giorgi Margvelashvili then has a further seven days to submit the new cabinet to parliament for approval.

Ivanishvili, 62, a former prime minister, made a political comeback in May, becoming again the chairman of Golden Dream amid tensions among party members over a range of issues.

His Georgian Dream coalition won control of parliament in October 2012, defeating the party of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, leader of the 2003 Rose Revolution.

Ivanishvili's coalition later split, but Georgian Dream won a parliamentary election in 2016, cementing its status as the ruling party in the country of 3.7 million people.

Ivanishvili stepped down from the posts of prime minister and party chairman in 2013, though critics say he has continued to run the country from behind the scenes.</s>TBILISI -- Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has resigned, citing differences with members of his cabinet.

Kvirikashvili made the announcement on June 13, after antigovernment protests shook the capital, Tbilisi.

Kvirikashvili, 50, has been prime minister since December 2015.

He was nominated for the post by Georgia's parliamentary majority, dominated by tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream party.

A wave of demonstrations started on May 31 to protest against what demonstrators said was a miscarriage of justice following the killing of two teenagers in December.

The protests stopped after June 6, but resumed on June 10 and ended on June 11 with police dismantling protesters' tents and detaining opposition politicians and their supporters.</s>Following ongoing mass protests which have gripped Tblisi for the past two weeks, the Georgian Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, has stepped down from office.

Protesters have been demanding the resignation of Kvirikashvili and his cabinet, with some officials having done so, emboldening protesters to continue their efforts towards that eventual goal.

However, as the PM declared in his resignation speech that his decision was actually the result of a dispute between himself and his party’s leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili. also a prior prime minister of Georgia, over policy issues.

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who held the prime ministerial post since December 2015, announced his resignation in a live televised statement on Wednesday evening.

Opening his eleven-minute address, Kvirikashvili cited “differences of opinion” regarding his economic policies with ruling party members as a reason for his resignation.

PM Kvirikashvili also noted that in recent months he has had differences “on certain fundamental issues” with Bidzina Ivanishvili, chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party.

“I think, time has come to allow the party chairman to assemble a [new governmental] team based on his views,” he added.

Kvirikashvili then noted that he wanted to clarify some details of his economic policies.

“Over the last 2.5 years, under my leadership the country has implemented tremendously important reforms, and despite extremely difficult political, economic and security situation in the region, we managed to create a stable environment in Georgia and put the country on the right track of development,” he said.

“Today, we have the highest economic growth in the region, the most favorable environment for doing business, secure property rights, and free trade agreements with the world’s largest markets,” Kvirikashvili added.

Kvirikashvili also noted that his Government’s “pragmatic” foreign policy, has made the country “secure and stable.”

“Today, we are as close to the European Union and NATO as never before; we also enjoy an unprecedented support from our strategic partner – the United States – and the European Union; we have also voiced our readiness to take further steps for settling our relations with Russia in the Geneva talks format, and I believe sooner or later these proposals will yield positive results,” he stressed.

Kvirikashvili touched upon his four-point action plan as well, saying the reform package was “a right” solution for Georgia’s long-term development.

“I know full well the hardships that people are going through, that we have many families who can barely make their ends meet. This is a fact, but I also know it well, that if not for our policies, the possibility of creating decent living conditions for these people, would be a far lengthier prospect – which I would not have allowed myself,” he said.

“I believe it is the duty of every responsible politician, and of the Prime Minister in particular, to implement decisions that can be unpopular, that are based not on immediate, one-time returns, but the country’s long-term development,” Kvirikashvili added.

Kvirikashvili then underlined that his government implemented several of such decisions, including “the floating exchange rate, gradual increase of key policy rate,” as well as the steps against dollarization and excess debt.

“Of course, we could have fixed the exchange rate, which would have eased the situation for the people at that point, but we would have wasted our reserves and we would not have gotten the economic growth dynamics that we have today,” he also noted.

“So, these were painful, but conscious decisions… rightist decisions that have brought about the current dynamics [of growth],” Kvirikashvili said.

Under article 79 of the Constitution of Georgia, resignation of a Prime Minister or termination of his/her tenure shall result in termination of the tenure of other members of the Government. The ruling Georgian Dream party has to name a new prime minister now, who will then nominate cabinet members to face parliament’s confidence vote, requiring the support of at least 76 MPs.</s>Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced his resignation Wednesday after a series of mass protests highlighted a dramatic drop in his government's popularity.

In a televised speech, Kvirikashvili cited "a number of fundamental disagreements with the chairman of the (ruling Georgian Dream) party," billionaire tycoon and former premier Bidzina Ivanishvili, as a reason for his decision.

Kvirikashvili's move after two and a half years in power comes amid growing popular discontent over his government's handling of the economy and after mass protests in recent months.

On June 1, thousands of people took to the streets of Tbilisi over allegations of political influence in a murder trial, demanding Kvirikashvili’s resignation.

A mass strike of Tbilisi subway workers followed, virtually paralysing public transport in the city of 1.2 million people.

In May, thousands rallied in the capital in protest at allegedly heavy-handed police raids on two popular nightclubs and the government's harsh anti-drug policy.

The demonstrators also demanded the resignation of Kvirikashvili and Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia.

According to the Georgian constitution, a prime minister's resignation leads to the resignation of the entire cabinet.

The ruling party then has seven days to nominate a prime minister who will be appointed by the country’s largely figurehead president.</s>Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced his resignation Wednesday after a series of mass protests highlighted a dramatic drop in his government's popularity.

In a televised speech, Kvirikashvili cited "a number of fundamental disagreements with the chairman of the (ruling Georgian Dream) party," billionaire tycoon and former premier Bidzina Ivanishvili, as a reason for his decision.

Kvirikashvili's move, after two and a half years in power, comes amid growing popular discontent over his government's handling of the economy and after mass protests in recent months.

On June 1, thousands of people took to the streets of Tbilisi over allegations of political influence in a murder trial, demanding Kvirikashvili's resignation.

A mass strike of Tbilisi subway workers followed, virtually paralysing public transport in the city of 1.2 million people.

In May, thousands rallied in the capital in protest at allegedly heavy-handed police raids on two popular nightclubs and the government's harsh anti-drug policy.

The demonstrators also demanded the resignation of Kvirikashvili and Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia.

A former banker, Kvirikashvili, 50, became prime minister in December 2015.

According to the Georgian constitution, a prime minister's resignation leads to the resignation of the entire cabinet.

The ruling party then has seven days to nominate a new prime minister who will be appointed by the country's largely figurehead president.

Analysts said that Kvirikashvili's demise was the result of a power struggle within the ruling party.

"Kvirikashvili's resignation is a logical consequence of the growing popular discontent over his performance that has recently culminated in mass street protests," political analyst Gela Vasadze told AFP.

"But primarily it shows that an internal power struggle within the Georgian Dream has entered a hot phase -- Bidzina Ivanishvili has again demonstrated who is calling the shots in Georgia," he added.

Georgia's richest man Ivanishvili stepped down as premier in 2013 after just a year in office but since then he has been widely believed to be the man in charge in the tiny Black Sea nation.

He made a political comeback in May, assuming chairmanship of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Georgian Dream came to power in 2012, ending a decade-long dominance of the pro-Western former president Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement and also won parliamentary elections in 2016.

Kvirikashvili's cabinet has been implicated in a number of high-profile scandals involving Georgia's law enforcement agencies, such as what international rights groups have claimed was Georgia's complicity in the abduction in Tbilisi of an opposition Azerbaijani journalist and his handover to his country's authoritarian government in January.

At Wednesday's press conference Kvirikashvili said he has disagreed with his party's leadership over economic policy matters and boasted of "Georgia's economic growth rate which is fastest in the region."

But a recent survey from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) showed that 22.5 percent of Georgian households lived below the poverty line last year, compared with 20.7 percent in 2016.</s>Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili says he has decided to resign after a dispute with the ruling Georgian Dream party.

“We’ve had some disagreements with the leader of the ruling party,” Kvirikashvili said in a televised statement Wednesday. “I think there is a moment now when the leader of the (ruling) party should be given an opportunity to staff a new Cabinet.”

According to Georgia’s constitution, the whole cabinet is required to resign along with the prime minister.

The leader of the Georgian Dream party is billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the richest man in the country.

Kvirikashvili said the squabble was over economic issues.

Ivanishvili stepped down as prime minister in 2013 after just a year in office, but since then he has been widely believed to be the man in charge in Georgia. He made a political comeback in May, assuming chairmanship of the Georgian Dream party.

Experts say Kvirikashvili’s resignation is not a surprise.

“There has been friction between the now former Prime Minister and Ivanishvili for some time,” sad Paul Stronski, a senior Russia and Eurasia Program fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told VOA's Georgian Service. “And, the wave of protests in Tbilisi over the past months indicates there is a large segment of the population that is unhappy with the status quo.”

“Kvirikashvili is a decent man who did his best to move Georgia forward,” David Kramer, a professor at the Florida State University, told VOA. “But he was burdened with constantly having to look over his shoulder to get approval from Ivanishvili. That kind of situation is not very sustainable.”

Former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Kenneth Yalowitzm said he’s concerned that “the government seems to be directed from outside.”

“Mr. Ivaniashvili, I am sure, has good intensions and good ideas, but he is not a prime minister and he is not above the process. And yet that seems to be what's happening here,” Yalowitzm told VOA.

Ani Chkhikvadze of VOA's Georgian service contributed to this report.</s>Giorgi Kvirikashvili, prime minister of Georgia, has announced his resignation amid a disagreement with Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the ruling party.

"We've had some disagreements with the leader of the ruling party. I think this is the moment now when the leader of the party should be given an opportunity to form a new cabinet," Kvirikashvili said in a televised statement on Wednesday.

Kvirikashvili, 50, has been the country's prime minister since 2015.

The prime minister's resignation comes amid growing popular discontent over his government's handling of the economy and after mass protests in recent months.

Under the Georgian constitution, a prime minister's resignation leads to the resignation of the entire cabinet.

The ruling party, Georgian Dream, has seven days to nominate a prime minister who will be appointed by the country's largely figurehead president.

President Giorgi Margvelashvili then has a further seven days to submit the new cabinet to parliament for approval.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili resigns following anti-government protests.