National Forum party said on April 4 it is quitting both the Georgian Dream (GD) ruling coalition and GD parliamentary majority group.

The decision comes four days after it was announced on March 31 that members of the five-party GD ruling coalition will not run under the joint ticket in the October, 2016 parliamentary election.

But unlike the National Forum, other parties – Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia; Republicans; Conservatives, and Industrialists – formally remain within the GD parliamentary majority group.

Withdrawal of National Forum’s 6 MPs leaves GD majority group with 82 MPs in 150-member Parliament –enough to formally retain majority in the legislative body, requiring at least 76 MPs.

MP Gubaz Sanikidze, one of the leaders of the National Forum, said on April 4 that after leaving the GD majority group, he is also quitting his post of the Parliament vice-speaker.

The same applies to three National Forum MPs, who will also quit their parliamentary posts – MP Ani Mirotadze, deputy chairperson of foreign affairs committee; MP Temur Maisuradze, deputy chair of the committee for sector economy, and Shalva Kiknavelidze, deputy chair of committee on diaspora issues.

The party also said that despite of its decision to quit the GD coalition, its members in the parliament and in the local councils (Sakrebulo) in the regions “will support maximally maintaining stability of the current government.”