Former Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli believes Bidzina Ivanishvili is not acting out of fear of former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s future political ambitions, but rather following a classic pattern of authoritarian rule.
Speaking on BMGTV’s “Tsertili,” Khidasheli said that by arresting former allies, particularly his most loyal political figures, Ivanishvili is seeking to preserve his personal control over the government. She argued that he has no intention of sharing or distributing power.
Khidasheli said Garibashvili remains the most popular Georgian Dream politician among the party’s supporters after Ivanishvili, making his neutralization potentially important for maintaining one-person rule. She said preventing the emergence of alternative centers of power is a defining feature of authoritarian regimes and argued that Ivanishvili intends to retain sole control for as long as he is physically able to do so.
Asked whether it was logical to fear that Garibashvili could eventually enter opposition politics, Khidasheli said she was referring to the initial reasons for his arrest, not the current developments. “We have no idea what is actually happening now,” she said, noting that Garibashvili has not made any public statement.
