In Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili has appointed a new prime minister. RFE/RL reports that the new PM is Grigol Mgaloblishvili. He replaces Lado Gurgenidze who was in office for less than a year. The president and the former PM are reported as saying that the move was “a joint, consensual decision”, though President Saakashvili did not initially give a reason for the decision when it was announced on Monday night. This led to some speculation that the president had sacked the PM. Currently, Georgia, like other places, is under considerable financial stress. In addition, the president continues to be the subject of criticism from the opposition who believe that the decision to send troops to South Ossetia was flawed. President Saakashvili has stated that the country needs “new energy” to face the current challenges and has named Prime Minister Mgaloblishvili, a 35-year old former diplomat, in this context.