New Government Faces Difficulty to Communicate with Local Self-Governments

Manon Bokuchava, Kvemo Kartli

After the new government came in office, peaceful life of self-governmental bodies in almost every region of Georgia deteriorated. Local population, led by activists of the coalition Georgian Dream, started demonstrations in front of district administrations. They request personnel changes not only in central authority but in local self-governments too.

In parallel to this process, information about the difficulty of the central authority to communicate with self-governments is reported.

Representatives of Kvemo Kartli regional self-government state in private conversations that new government started cooperation with them via prosecutor’s office. They say that after parliamentary elections prosecutor’s office and investigation bodies of the Ministry of Finance withdrew financial documentation from the district administrations.

Humanrights.ge visited Marneuli district administration to check the information. We learned that district governor Zaza Dekanoidze intends to resign. After two-day demonstration in front of the district administration, Dekanoidze said he had not made this decision as a result of oppression.

“I am not oppressed. Simply, I realized that if we face some problems in our activities next year and something is not done properly, everybody will blame me in sabotage. They will claim I wished to make people oppose the new government. So, Coalition Georgian Dream is free to nominate their candidate for the Marneuli district governor and the municipal board will support him. We have discussed this issue at the municipal board. Fraction National Movement and majority of the board will vote for their candidate. I am ready to resign and assist the new governor at the starting stage if he has desire. I am not indifferent about the future of Marneuli district,” said district governor Zaza Dekanoidze.

Dekanoidze does not deny information that prosecutor’s office and investigative body of the Ministry of Finance took financial documentation from the Marneuli district administration after elections. He said this fact had not influenced his decision. Dekaniodze also confirmed that they do not communicate with new government like other district administrations throughout the country. Acting governor cannot say how much transfer will be made to Marneuli local budget in 2013. “I cannot say anything about special transfers. We do not communicate with the new government at this stage. This issue will be clarified later. Last year, our budget was 21 million lari together with the transfers. We will approve the 2013 budget in a few days and it amounted to 10 million lari without transfer money.”

Chairman of the fraction National Movement at the Marneuli municipal board Giorgi Shukakidze cannot speak about the projects planned by the central government and special transfers because of lack of communication with new government. He said the municipal board is ready to cooperate with new government.

“When working on new local budget we do need communication with central government to learn what projects they have planned in the district. We should also clarify what is their priority and what kind of purposeful transfers will be allocated on local budget. Maybe, the communication failed because they have not approved even central budget yet but we could already communicate on certain issues. When working on the budget, we focus on transfers because many significant projects were implemented with those transfers last year. For example, 3 million lari was spent on the rehabilitation of water system and road; funds were spent on gasification too. So, without communication we are in sort of vacuum. I would like to declare again that we are ready to cooperate with the new government for the better future of our district,” said Giorgi Shukakidze.

He commented about possible resignation of the district governor and said that it was Dekanoidze’s personal decision; however, he does not deny that district governor was scared by ongoing demonstrations in front of district administration and they have a feeling that a new team will arrive in the district administration and personnel will remain unemployed.