Parliament in Kutaisi or in Tbilisi – Demands and Assessment of Kutaisi Population

“I am afraid that moving the Parliament will affect my business and work.” 

Salome Bluishashvili, the manager of Hotel West Tower, is one of those, who fears to lose her business, after moving the Parliament from Kutaisi and she thinks that the Parliament has a great importance for improving the city economy. “After the Parliament was moved, the city became more mobile. Many hotels have been opened and we feel competitive. We welcome many guests, besides our hotel is very close to the building of Parliament and this also causes us to visit. Delegations come from Tbilisi and it is well reflected on the economy of the city. That is why I think that the parliament should be in Kutaisi and should not be moved to Tbilisi. It is not possible to put everything in the capital, they should also pay attention to the regions and people will be employed here and the city will be activated”, said Salome Bluishashvili. “I think that by moving the Parliament, our business will have serious problems, because we were mainly hosted by parliamentarians, the number of guests will now be reduced and this will result in reducing revenues. If the hotel costs are more than the income, such work will not be useless”, she added.

From January of 2019 Parliament will move from Kutaisi to Tbilisi and will continue working full-time from February. The seat of the Parliament of Georgia will not be defined by the constitution. According to the decision of the ruling team, the constitution's record, according to which the parliament is located in the city of Kutaisi, is taken from the Constitution.

This decision made by the majority caused the people of Kutaisi to be offended. "Leave Parliament in Kutaisi" – With this motto started a social campaign in Kutaisi. Civil society has also held protests demanding that Kutaisi should be a parliamentary city. The population believes that the transfer of the parliament has greatly improved the economy. They connect the opening hotels and various establishments with the existence of the parliament.

People of different professions protested to move the legislative body from the city. In Kutaisi they say that in case of returning to Tbilisi, the parliamentary city will lose its status and future development prospects. "I consider that the social condition of the Kutaisi population becomes worse by moving Parliament. Even in 2012, Georgian Dream made the announcement about moving from Kutaisi to Tbilisi, scale and totally stopped constructions, investors lost interest in the city. I know that they have already refused to implement the projects and construction of several 5 Star Hotels and gas stations was stopped too. That is why there is a vital parliamentary necessity for Kutaisi and here I do not know how much the city will develop”, said Journalist and Information Center Director Khvicha Vashakmadze.

Young people also appreciate the existence of the Parliament in Kutaisi, believing that the transfer of Parliament has affected the situation of young people and contributed to the implementation of many good projects. "The city became very active. Infrastructural development has begun, the problem of transport has been solved, many entertainment venues have been opened, the cinemas started functioning. Many young people come from different cities or countries within projects. The transfer of the parliament to Tbilisi will probably return us to old times. Young people will no longer stay in Kutaisi and go to study and work in the capital or in the worst case abroad. That is why I believe that they should leave Parliament in Kutaisi and develop the city more," said Nikoloz Bolkvadze, a student.

Despite the great wish and demand of the society, that the Parliament should remain in Kutaisi, the management team has other views and decisions. Levan Gogichaishvili, member of the parliamentary majority, thinks that Kutaisi deserves more than parliament. “I believe that the transfer of the parliament to Kutaisi has not brought economic benefit to the city, it needs to be economically developed and at the same time Government and Parliament should be in one city. That is why I think it is the right decision to return Parliament to Tbilisi”, said Levan Gogichaishvili.

The opposite of Gogichaishvili is approved by Giorgi Tsereteli, member of "European Georgia". "If Kutaisi loses the status of the parliamentary city, it will prevent development. The “Georgian Dream” did not want to stay Parliament here, from the very beginning and such an attitude has stopped many investments in this city, which will significantly increase the economy. If Parliament will move from Kutaisi to Tbilisi, this city will be left without the status and development”, said Giorgi Tsereteli.

Kutaisi City Hall supports parliament to stay in Kutaisi and is against the amendments to be made in the regulation of the Parliament of Georgia. They explain that Funding of the Parliament in Kutaisi is essential for its development. “After 2012 Kutaisi is referred to as a parliamentary city, the airport was built, investors implemented many projects and also many tourists visit the city which is reflected in the economic growth, their numbers increased by 85% compared to previous years. So, it is important for Kutaisi to maintain a parliamentary city”, said Kutaisi City Hall. As for the building in Kutaisi, it will be handed over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the current information, the Ministry of Internal Affairs intends to place several subunits, including the Police Academy, Information Center 112.

What benefits will this bring for the city, Kutaisi population does not speak loudly about it yet and refrains from commenting.