American analyst Lincoln Mitchell, who advised Georgian Dream in the 2012 elections, assesses Bidzina Ivanishvili's departure from politics along with Europetime.
“Like many I am not entirely convinced that Ivanishvili will fully remove himself from politics in Georgia. The question, for me is whether Bidzina will be comfortable not saying or doing anything the first time he sees somebody in government make a decision he views as a mistake or if he sees the party stumbling politically.
Additionally, many in the GD party and government are so accustomed to Ivanishvili being the most powerful force in Georgia that they may not believe that he is truly leaving politics, leading them to remain in contact with him, run ideas by him and the like.
The macro-question for Georgia remains whether or not the country can break out of a now several decades long cycle of the consolidation and collapse of one party systems.
The only way to break that cycle is to move to genuinely competitive politics. Ivanishvili’s decision is a step in that direction, but it is only a step. Additionally, anything that moves Georgia out of a politics dominated by a fight between Ivanishvili and Saakashvili is positive and Ivanishvili’s recent decision may help do that”, - said Mitchell to Europetime.
Bidzina Ivanishvili announced his retirement from politics on January 11.
