Georgia Completes Its Domestic Political Transformation

In the past week, Georgia reached a political turning point with significant foreign policy implications for the longer term. Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili announced Nov. 2 that he would nominate Interior Minister Irakly Garibashvili to be his successor to the premiership. The move comes after Georgian Dream candidate Giorgi Margvelashvili won the presidential election Oct. 27.

The presidential elections and accompanying prime ministerial change will mark the completion of the transition in Georgian politics away from the decadelong tenure of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and his United National Movement. This political remaking in Georgia is a significant victory for Moscow, though Georgia's broader foreign policy will likely continue to seek the balance between Russia and the West established by Ivanishvili, the outgoing premier.