Tbilisi. Ex-Prime Minister of Georgia gave a lengthy interview with Tbilisi-based Imedi TV on Saturday in which he spoke much about President Giorgi Margvelashvili, opposition UNM party - criticizing both of them, as well as about Rustavi 2 TV and, as he put it, "excessive fuss" and "hysteria" over broadcaster's ownership dispute, civil.ge portal reports.
Ivanishvili said that the GD coalition had his full backing and would be "actively supporting" the ruling coalition in its campaign ahead of the parliamentary elections, scheduled for autumn, 2016.
According to him, a statement of President Giorgi Margvelashvili of October 22 about the recent developments, including over Rustavi 2 TV, was "completely irresponsible."
Margvelashvili spoke in his statement about "escalated political climate", saying that he sees "prerequisites of civil confrontation and violation of constitutional order." He also called on the judge adjudicating dispute over Rustavi 2 TV ownership "not to make hasty decisions."
"He violated the law," Ivanishvili said of Margvelashvili. "He had no right to indicate to the judge" about what kind of decision he should or should not take.
"He [the President] also had no right: to speak about civil confrontation - that was his biggest mistake; there is no prerequisite whatsoever for civil confrontation," Ivanishvili said.
"Those very people, who make such statements, want to justify [United] National Movement's [actions]: Those who make such statements, support UNM," he said.
In the same statement on October 22 President Margvelashvili criticized PM Irakli Garibashvili for his remarks in which he said that "aggression" against UNM opposition party is "natural."
Ivanishvili said that he "disliked" Garibashvili's remarks, describing them as "excessively emotional".
"As a head of the government, he has to be more responsible," he said, adding that he had advised for multiple times to Garibashvili "not to be emotional and to be pragmatic."
In general, he praised Garibashvili for being "a very good Prime Minister."
During the interview Ivanishvili reiterated again his criticism of President Margvelashvili for his refusal to give up using a presidential palace built during the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili.
Ivanishvili said that it was his "mistake" to select Margvelashvili as GD's presidential candidate. Suggesting that Margvelashvili has changed since being elected as the President in 2013, Ivanishvili said that the President "is in a conflict not personally with me, but with previous Margvelashvili, a person he was before becoming the president."