PM Mgaloblishvili speaks with students from European School of Management in Tbilisi in November.  Photo: InterPressNews

Prime Minister, Grigol Mgaloblishvili, 35, has left for Germany to undergo medical examination there upon the recommendation of Georgian medics, government said in a statement on December 31.

“The medical examination became necessary after a renal [kidney] problem has emerged in the light of the Prime Minister’s tiredness,” the government’s statement reads. “PM Mgaloblishvili will return back to Georgia after the medical examination, apparently in several days, and will continue his tenure.”

The statement also reads that the Georgian medics recommended the PM to undergo medical examination “several weeks ago;” he, however, has decided to do so during the New Year holidays “in order to miss relatively few working days.”

Last week a Georgian tabloid, Alia, reported citing an unnamed source that President Saakashvili allegedly punched PM Mgaloblishvili and then threw a mobile phone at him. According to the same report, the PM filed for resignation, but President Saakashvili refused to accept it. The government’s press office said the report was not even worth of being commented. Some Georgian media outlets have even started to speculate after that report that Finance Minister, Nika Gilauri, could possibly replace MP Mgaloblishvili.

On December 29 during the live televised government session, President Saakashvili, praised PM Mgaloblishvili for his “hard work” and said: “He comes to office at 8am and leaves the office at 3am – that’s more than even I can.”

“Don’t work after 1am, everyone has the right to have an 8-hour sleep,” Saakashvili told the Prime Minister.