Yevginy Kalandarishivilli, one of the most senior Centrist figures, has quit the government citing ‘disaffection’ with the leadership of Prime Minister Asta Dahn. Mr Kalandarishivilli who has served the Coalition in government since 2003, first as a junior spokesman before becoming Finance Minister to Koruin Gruaman in 2008, released a statement earlier today and vowed to “fight hard to change the party”. A close ally of Gruaman, Kalandarishivilli is thought to have considered his resignation for some time, with reports building over the weekend, before finally speaking to the Prime Minister this morning where he laid out his reasons for quitting. Senior figures in the party now say it is ‘almost unavoidable’ for the Prime Minister to face a vote over her leadership – with Kalandarishivilli becoming the second minister to quit. Former First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Lebedev quit last year following the presidential election results in November, and criticisms of Dahn’s leadership have been swirling since the new year.
Writing in his statement, Mr Kalandarishivilli said that he believed “the Prime Minister has unfortunately failed to win my confidence that she can deal with the crises facing our country and it is entirely obvious that the government has a crisis of confidence.” He continued that he therefore found it “untenable to continue serving the government.” His decision to leave the government has sent Karasicena into a tailspin, with government sources saying that they believe further resignations now be incoming – with the Prime Minister fighting to survive.
