Kvirikashvili's removal and replacement by the 36-year-old Bakhtadze came only weeks after the return of the party's billionaire founder, former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, to an official leadership position within Georgian Dream. Ivanishvili's return to a formal political role appeared to validate longstanding rumors regarding Ivanishvili's concerns with Kvirikashvili's government, which happened to coincide with growing protests demanding Kvirikashvili's departure. Kvirikashvili himself alluded to these issues upon his resignation, citing unspecified “disagreements” with his party's leadership.
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