Prime Minister of Georgia

The prime minister of Georgia (Georgian: საქართველოს პრემიერ-მინისტრი, romanized: sakartvelos p'remier-minist'ri) is the head of government and chief executive of Georgia. The prime minister organizes, directs, and controls the functions of the Government and signs the legal acts of the government. They appoint and dismiss ministers in the government. The prime minister represents Georgia in foreign relations and concludes international treaties on behalf of Georgia. They are accountable for the activities of the Government before the Parliament of Georgia.[2]

Prime Minister of Georgia
Coat of Arms of Georgia
Incumbent Giorgi Gakharia since 8 September 2019
Residence	none
Appointer	Parliament of Georgia
Term length	none
Inaugural holder	Noe Ramishvili (Georgian Democratic Republic) Bessarion Gugushvili (independence)
Formation	23 August 1991
Salary	13,000 lari per month[1]
Website	http://gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG

The prime minister is nominated by a political party that has secured the best results in the parliamentary election. The nominee must win the confidence vote of the Parliament and then be appointed by the President of Georgia.[3]

Giorgi Gakharia is the incumbent prime minister. He succeeded Mamuka Bakhtadze on 8 September 2019.

History

The office of Prime Minister under the name of the Chairman of Government was introduced in Georgia upon its declaration of independence in May 1918. It was abolished with the Soviet takeover of the country in February 1921. The newly independent Georgia established the position of Prime Minister in August 1991, only to be abolished de facto in the aftermath of the January 1992 military coup and legally in the 1995 Constitution. The office was reintroduced in the February 2004 constitutional amendment and further modified as a result of series of amendments passed between 2011 and 2018.

Qualifications

The office of Prime Minister may not be held by a citizen of Georgia who is simultaneously the citizen of a foreign country.[4]

Appointment

The Prime Minister is nominated by a political party that has secured the best results in the parliamentary election. The nominee for premiership and ministerial candidates selected by them must win the confidence vote of the Parliament and then, within 2 days of a vote of confidence, be appointed by the President of Georgia. If the President does not appoint the Prime Minister within the established time frame, the Prime Minister is considered appointed. If the parliamentary vote of confidence is not passed within the established time frame, the President dissolves the Parliament no earlier than two weeks and no later than three weeks after the respective time frame has expired, and calls extraordinary parliamentary election.[3]

Functions

The Prime Minister of Georgia is the head of the Government, responsible for government activities and appointment and dismissal of ministers. They are accountable before the parliament. Prime Minister signs the legal acts of the government[2] and countersigns some of the acts issued by the President of Georgia.[5]

The Prime Minister also has the right to make decision on the use of the Defense Forces during martial law without the Parliament's approval.[6] During the martial law, the Prime Minister becomes a member of the National Defense Council, a consultative body chaired by the President of Georgia.[7]

List of Heads of Government of Georgia (1918–present)

Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–1921)

Prime Ministers

No.	Picture	Name (Birth–Death)	Began office	Left office	Party	Title(s)
1		Noe Ramishvili (1881–1930)	26 May 1918	24 June 1918	Social Democratic Party of Georgia	Chairman of Government
2		Noe Zhordania (1868–1953)	24 June 1918	18 March 1921	Social Democratic Party of Georgia	Chairman of Government

Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (1921–1991)

No.	Picture	Name (Birth–Death)	Began office	Left office	Party	Title(s)
1		Polikarp Mdivani (1887–1937)	7 March 1922	April 1922	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars
2		Sergey Kavtaradze (1885–1971)	April 1922	January 1923	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars
3		Shalva Eliava (1883–1937)	January 1923	June 1927	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars
4		Lavrenty Kartvelishvili (1890–1938)	June 1927	June 1929	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars
5		Filipp Makharadze (1886–1941)	June 1929	January 1931	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars
6		Levan Sukhishvili	January 1931	22 September 1931	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars
7		German Mgaloblishvili (?–1937)	22 September 1931	9 July 1937	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars
8		Valerian Bakradze (1901–1971)	9 July 1937	15 April 1946	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars
			15 April 1946	December 1946		Chairmen of the Council of Ministers
9		Zakhary Chkhubianishvili (1903–?)	December 1946	6 April 1952	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of Ministers
10		Zakhary Ketskhoveli (1902–1970)	6 April 1952	16 April 1953	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of Ministers
11		Valerian Bakradze (1901–1971)	16 April 1953	20 September 1953	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of Ministers
12		Givi Javakhishvili (1912–1985)	21 September 1953	17 December 1975	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of Ministers
13		Zurab Pataridze (1928–1982)	17 December 1975	5 June 1982	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of Ministers
14		Dmitry Kartvelishvili (1927–2009)	2 July 1982	12 April 1986	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of Ministers
15		Otar Cherkezia (1933–2004)	12 April 1986	29 March 1989	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of Ministers
16		Zurab Chkheidze (1930–2007)	29 March 1989	14 April 1989	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of Ministers
17		Nodari Chitanava (1935–)	14 April 1989	15 November 1990	Communist Party of Georgia	Chairmen of the Council of Ministers
18		Tengiz Sigua (1934–2020)	15 November 1990	18 August 1991	Independent	Chairmen of the Council of Ministers

Republic of Georgia (1991–1995)

Prime Ministers

No.	Name (Born–Died)	Picture	Took Office	Left Office	Party
—	Murman Omanidze (1938–) (acting)		18 August 1991	23 August 1991	Independent
1	Besarion Gugushvili (1945–)		23 August 1991	6 January 1992[8]	Round Table—Free Georgia
2	Tengiz Sigua (1934–2020)		6 January 1992	6 August 1993	Independent
—	Eduard Shevardnadze (1928–2014) (acting)		6 August 1993	20 August 1993	Independent
3	Otar Patsatsia (1929–)		20 August 1993	5 October 1995	Independent

Georgia (1995–present)

State Ministers

No.	Name (Born–Died)	Picture	Took Office	Left Office	Party
1	Niko Lekishvili (1947–)		8 December 1995	26 July 1998	Union of Citizens of Georgia
2	Vazha Lortkipanidze (1949–)		31 July 1998	11 May 2000	Union of Citizens of Georgia
3	Giorgi Arsenishvili (1942–2010)		11 May 2000	21 December 2001	Union of Citizens of Georgia
4	Avtandil Jorbenadze (1951–)		21 December 2001	7 November 2003	Union of Citizens of Georgia
5	Zurab Zhvania (1963–2005)		7 November 2003	17 February 2004	United National Movement

Prime Ministers

No.	Name (Born–Died)	Picture	Took Office	Left Office	Party
4	Zurab Zhvania (1963–2005)		17 February 2004	3 February 2005	United National Movement
—	Mikheil Saakashvili (1967–) (acting)[9]		3 February 2005	17 February 2005	United National Movement
5	Zurab Noghaideli (1964–)		17 February 2005	16 November 2007	United National Movement
—	Giorgi Baramidze (1968–) (acting)[10]		16 November 2007	22 November 2007	United National Movement
6	Lado Gurgenidze (1970–)		22 November 2007	1 November 2008	Independent
7	Grigol Mgaloblishvili (1973–)		1 November 2008	6 February 2009	Independent
8	Nika Gilauri (1975–)		6 February 2009	4 July 2012	Independent
9	Vano Merabishvili (1968–)		4 July 2012	25 October 2012	United National Movement
10	Bidzina Ivanishvili (1956–)		25 October 2012	20 November 2013	Georgian Dream
11	Irakli Garibashvili (1982–)		20 November 2013	30 December 2015	Georgian Dream
12	Giorgi Kvirikashvili (1967–)		30 December 2015	13 June 2018	Georgian Dream
13	Mamuka Bakhtadze (1982–)		20 June 2018	2 September 2019	Georgian Dream
14	Giorgi Gakharia (1975–)		8 September 2019	Incumbent	Georgian Dream

Living former Prime Ministers

As of 22 January 2020, there are 15 living former Prime Ministers (or equivalent position), along with 3 acting Prime Ministers, the oldest being Otar Patsatsia (1993-95, born 1929). The most recent Prime Minister to die was Tengiz Sigua (1990-91; 1992-93, born 1934) on 21 January 2020. The most recently-serving Prime Minister to die was Zurab Zhvania (2003-05, born 1963) on 3 February 2005.

Name	Length of Term	Date of birth
Nodari Chitanava	1989–1990	10 March 1935
Murman Omanidze	1991	5 November 1938
Besarion Gugushvili	1991–1992	6 May 1945
Otar Patsatsia	1993–1995	15 May 1929
Niko Lekishvili	1995–1998	20 April 1947
Vazha Lortkipanidze	1998–2000	29 November 1949
Avtandil Jorbenadze	2001–2003	23 February 1951
Mikheil Saakashvili	2005	21 December 1967
Zurab Noghaideli	2005–2007	22 October 1964
Giorgi Baramidze	2007	5 January 1968
Lado Gurgenidze	2007–2008	7 December 1970
Grigol Mgaloblishvili	2008–2009	7 October 1973
Nika Gilauri	2009–2012	14 February 1975
Vano Merabishvili	2012	15 April 1968
Bidzina Ivanishvili	2012–2013	18 February 1956
Irakli Garibashvili	2013–2015	28 June 1982
Giorgi Kvirikashvili	2015–2018	20 July 1967
Mamuka Bakhtadze	2018–2019	9 June 1982

References

1. https://www.transparency.ge/sites/default/files/labor-remuneration.pdf
2. Article 55, Section 1–5 of the Constitution of Georgia (country) (2018)
3. Article 56, Section 1–5 of the Constitution of Georgia (country) (2018)
4. Article 25, Section 2 of the Constitution of Georgia (country) (2018)
5. Article 53, Section 2 of the Constitution of Georgia (country) (2018)
6. Article 72, Section 1 of the Constitution of Georgia (country) (2018)
7. Article 73, Section 1 of the Constitution of Georgia (country) (2018)
8. Prime Minister of the rebel government at Zugdidi 24 September—6 November 1993
9. Saakashvili took responsibilities as Prime minister (in Russian)
10. Acting Prime minister of Georgia criticized peacekeepers, CIS and Russia (in Russian) Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine