Vakhtang Gomelauri, Georgia's minister of internal affairs under the incumbent Georgian Dream (GD) government, announced on the morning of May 28 that he would resign from his post, the interior ministry announced on May 28. 

Gomelauri is one of the longest serving ministers of the GD party. Over ten years he has held positions as interior minister, head of the State Security Service and vice prime minister of Georgia.

He is currently under sanctions from the UK and US under the Magnitsky act for his role in facilitating violent police crackdowns on pro-EU, anti-government protesters, opposition figures and journalists in Georgia throughout 2024.

At a briefing shortly after the outgoing minister’s announcement, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze introduced Gela Geladze, the current deputy head of Georgia’s State Security Service, as Gomelauri’s successor.

Previously, Geladze served as the deputy minister of education and deputy minister of defence.

In a public statement, Gomelauri cited personal reasons for leaving his post, a decision he noted “was not easy” for him to accept.

“Today, when the situation in the country is calm, I took the liberty and asked my team to resign from my position, which will allow me to dedicate more time to my family — my wife, children, and newly born grandchild,” he said.

Despite his resignation, Gomelauri stated he remains loyal to Georgia and to the GD party and is prepared to “stand by the state and the ruling team” if the need should arise in future.

The outgoing interior minister noted the “transformative changes” Georgia has seen since 2011, when GD won power from Mikheil Saakashvili’s former United National Movement government, an administration the incumbent ruling party accuses of “systemic, monstrous crimes” including starting Georgia’s 2008 war with Russia.

Gomelauri gave special thanks to GD’s oligarch founder and de-facto ruler of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, for his “trust and example”.

During a briefing following Gomelauri’s announcement, Kobakhidze noted that the interior minister’s resignation was “very disappointing” but the whole GD team understood his decision.

Kobakhidze thanked Gomelauri for his years of "loyal and dignified service", highlighting specifically the latter’s “outstanding contribution” in “preventing four attempted revolutions” in Georgia.

GD has long pushed a theory that the Georgian political opposition, working in league with a subversive “deep state” network of western leaders and elites, are working to incite revolution in Georgia, topple the incumbent government and open a second front of Ukraine’s war with Russia on Georgian territory.

On being appointed interior minister, Geladze noted that it was a “great honour” for him to lead the agency and to “serve our country and people alongside the dignified and proud police officers and employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs”.

Geladze expressed his thanks to both the Georgian Dream team for their support and to Gomelauri for the “significant contribution” he made to reforms in the interior ministry.

Writing on X, Georgian opposition member and commentary Marika Mikiashvili said that Gomelauri’s exit signals broadening rifts with the GD.

The ruling party is under mounting pressure from the effects of international sanctions imposed upon its members for facilitating democratic backsliding, human rights abuses, and Georgia’s U-turn away from a path of Euro-Atlantic integration.

“Make no mistake – this is the [GD] regime contracting, shrinking, getting weaker,” Mikiashvili stated, insisting that “sanctions work!”.

The opposition politician pointed out that Gomelauri’s departure follows that of Ivanishvili loyalist and GD chair, Irakli Garibashvili, who announced his exit from politics on April 25.

GD opponents suggested his departure could signal a growing rift within the Georgian legislative, as anti-government, pro-EU protests continue nightly in Tbilisi.