Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia (GDDG), largest party within the six-party GD ruling coalition, said it has sacked vice speaker of the Parliament, Murman Dumbadze, from its ranks for “meddling” in the Adjara Autonomous Republic government affairs.

As a result GD will now have 83 members in the 150-seat legislative body

PM Irakli Garibashvili, who chairs GDDG party, said after the meeting of party leadership on Sunday that attempts by MP Dumbadze, majoritarian lawmaker elected from Batumi single-mandate constituency in Adjara, “to put Adjara’s government under his influence has failed.” Garibashvili also accused Dumbadze of “destructive actions” against the local government in the Autonomous Republic.

The announcement came amid attempts by one part of GD ruling coalition members of Adjara’s local parliament, Supreme Council, to impeach head of Adjara government Archil Khabadze.

• GD Infighting in Adjara

GDDG’s seven-member faction in the Supreme Council is behind these attempts, which have not been backed, at least for now, by GDDG party leadership in Tbilisi. Remaining six members of GD majority in the 21-seat Supreme Council, representing other parties within the GD ruling coalition, have refused to join the campaign to sack head of Adjara’s government.

GDDG faction in the Supreme Council and its attempts to impeach Khabadze is backed by MP Dumbadze.

MP Dumbadze said after the meeting with GDDG party leadership in Tbilisi on September 14 that he was not sacked, instead he himself quit the party after its leadership refused to support GDDG faction’s efforts to impeach Khabadze.

PM Garibashvili said that GDDG party “reprimanded” three members of its faction in Adjara’s Supreme Council for making “statements, which were not agreed with the party leadership.” He also said that GDDG party will “thoroughly” study complaints voiced by its faction members in Adjara against Archil Khabadze.