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.

Prime Minister of Georgia
საქართველოს პრემიერ-მინისტრი (Georgian)
Coat of arms of Georgia
Incumbent Irakli Kobakhidze[a] since 8 February 2024
Administration of the Government of Georgia
Style	Mr. Prime Minister (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Type	Head of government
Member of	Cabinet National Security Council
Reports to	Parliament
Seat	State Chancellery
Nominator	Parliament
Appointer	President
Term length	No fixed term length
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Georgia
Formation	26 May 1918; 106 years ago (1918-05-26)
First holder	Noe Ramishvili (Georgian Democratic Republic)
Deputy	First Deputy Prime Minister
Salary	13,000 GEL/US$ 5,019 per month[1]
Website	Official website

In Georgia, the president is a ceremonial head of state and mainly acts as a figurehead. The executive power is vested in the government. The prime minister organizes, directs, and controls the functions of the government. They also sign legal acts and appoint and dismiss cabinet ministers. 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]

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.

The current prime minister is Irakli Kobakhidze, who was nominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party on 2 February and his government was approved on 8 February, 2024. ^[3][4]

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 2012 and 2018.

From the office's reestablishment in 2004 and throughout the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili, the prime minister was appointed by the president and served as his chief adviser, while the President exercised most of the executive powers. However, after the entry into force of the 2012 and 2018 constitutional amendments, that instituted Georgia as a parliamentary republic, the president's executive powers were eliminated and transferred to the prime minister.

Qualifications

The office of prime minister may not be held by a citizen of Georgia who is simultaneously the citizen of another country.^[5]

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 his ministerial candidates must win the confidence vote of the Parliament and then, within 2 days of a vote of confidence, be formally appointed by the president of Georgia. If the president does not appoint the prime minister within the established time frame, the prime minister will be appointed automatically. 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.^[6]

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. The prime minister signs the legal acts of the government^[2] and countersigns some of the acts issued by the president of Georgia.^[7]

The prime minister has the right to use the defense forces without the Parliament's approval during martial law.^[8] During the martial law, the prime minister becomes a member of the National Defense Council, a consultative body chaired by the president of Georgia.^[9] Although it is the president who is officially the commander-in-chief, in practice, the military is managed by the Government and prime minister.

The prime minister is also the head of the National Security Council.

List of officeholders

Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–1921)

Chairman of Government (1918–1921)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Elected	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Noe Ramishvili (1881–1930)	26 May 1918	24 June 1918	29 days		Social Democratic Party of Georgia
2		Noe Zhordania (1868–1953)	24 June 1918	18 March 1921	2 years, 267 days		Social Democratic Party of Georgia	1919

Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (1921–1991)

Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars (1921–1946)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Elected	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Polikarp Mdivani (1887–1937)	7 March 1922	19 April 1922	43 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
2		Sergey Kavtaradze (1885–1971)	19 April 1922	21 January 1923	277 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
3		Shalva Eliava (1883–1937)	21 January 1923	14 June 1927	4 years, 144 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
4		Lavrenty Kartvelishvili (1890–1938)	14 June 1927	7 June 1929	1 year, 358 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
5		Filipp Makharadze (1886–1941)	1 June 1929	20 January 1931	1 year, 233 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
6		Levan Sukhishvili (?–?)	20 January 1931	22 September 1931	245 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
7		German Mgaloblishvili (?–1937)	22 September 1931	9 July 1937	5 years, 290 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
8		Valerian Bakradze (1901–1971)	9 July 1937	15 April 1946	8 years, 280 days		Communist Party of Georgia	1938

Chairmen of the Council of Ministers (1946–1991)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Elected	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
8		Valerian Bakradze (1901–1971)	15 April 1946	26 March 1947	345 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
9		Zakhary Chkhubianishvili [ka] (1903–1980)	26 March 1947	6 April 1952	5 years, 11 days		Communist Party of Georgia	1947
10		Zakhary Ketskhoveli (1902–1970)	6 April 1952	16 April 1953	1 year, 10 days		Communist Party of Georgia	1951
(8)		Valerian Bakradze (1901–1971)	16 April 1953	20 September 1953	157 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
11		Givi Javakhishvili (1912–1985)	21 September 1953	17 December 1975	22 years, 88 days		Communist Party of Georgia	1955 1959 1963 1967 1971
12		Zurab Pataridze (1928–1982)	17 December 1975	5 June 1982	6 years, 170 days		Communist Party of Georgia	1975 1980
13		Dmitry Kartvelishvili [ru] (1927–2009)	2 July 1982	12 April 1986	3 years, 284 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
15		Otar Cherkezia [ru] (1933–2004)	12 April 1986	29 March 1989	2 years, 351 days		Communist Party of Georgia	1985
16		Zurab Chkheidze [ru] (1930–2007)	29 March 1989	14 April 1989	16 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
17		Nodari Chitanava [ru] (born 1936)	14 April 1989	15 November 1990	1 year, 215 days		Communist Party of Georgia	—
18		Tengiz Sigua (1934–2020)	15 November 1990	18 August 1991	276 days		Rustaveli Society	1990

Georgia (since 1991)

Prime minister (1991–1995)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Elected	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
—		Murman Omanidze (1938–2020) acting	18 August 1991	23 August 1991	5 days		Independent	—
1		Besarion Gugushvili (born 1945)	23 August 1991	6 January 1992[b]	136 days		Round Table—Free Georgia	—
2		Tengiz Sigua (1934–2020)	6 January 1992	6 August 1993	1 year, 212 days		Independent	1992
—		Eduard Shevardnadze (1928–2014) acting	6 August 1993	20 August 1993	14 days		Independent	—
3		Otar Patsatsia (1929–2021)	20 August 1993	5 October 1995	2 years, 46 days		Independent	—

State Minister (1995–2004)

Main article: State Minister (Georgia)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Niko Lekishvili (1947–2025)	8 December 1995	26 July 1998	2 years, 230 days		Union of Citizens of Georgia
2		Vazha Lortkipanidze (born 1949)	31 July 1998	11 May 2000	1 year, 285 days		Union of Citizens of Georgia
3		Giorgi Arsenishvili (1942–2010)	11 May 2000	21 December 2001	1 year, 224 days		Union of Citizens of Georgia
4		Avtandil Jorbenadze (1951–2024)	21 December 2001	25 November 2003	1 year, 339 days		Union of Citizens of Georgia
5		Zurab Zhvania (1963–2005)	27 November 2003	17 February 2004	82 days		United National Movement

Prime minister (2004–present)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Elected	Government(s)	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
4		Zurab Zhvania (1963–2005)	17 February 2004	3 February 2005	352 days		United National Movement	2004	Zhvania
—		Mikheil Saakashvili (born 1967) acting	3 February 2005	17 February 2005	14 days		United National Movement	—	Zhvania	[10]
5		Zurab Noghaideli (born 1964)	17 February 2005	16 November 2007	2 years, 272 days		United National Movement	—	Noghaideli
—		Giorgi Baramidze (born 1968) acting	16 November 2007	22 November 2007	6 days		United National Movement	—	Noghaideli	[11]
6		Lado Gurgenidze (born 1970)	22 November 2007	1 November 2008	345 days		Independent	—	Gurgenidze
7		Grigol Mgaloblishvili (born 1973)	1 November 2008	6 February 2009	97 days		Independent	2008	Mgaloblishvili
8		Nika Gilauri (born 1975)	6 February 2009	4 July 2012	3 years, 149 days		Independent	—	Gilauri
9		Vano Merabishvili (born 1968)	4 July 2012	25 October 2012	113 days		United National Movement	—	Merabishvili
10		Bidzina Ivanishvili (born 1956)	25 October 2012	20 November 2013	1 year, 26 days		Georgian Dream	2012	Ivanishvili
11		Irakli Garibashvili (born 1982)	20 November 2013	30 December 2015	2 years, 40 days		Georgian Dream	—	Garibashvili I
12		Giorgi Kvirikashvili (born 1967)	30 December 2015	30 June 2018	2 years, 165 days		Georgian Dream	—	Kvirikashvili I
								2016	Kvirikashvili II
13		Mamuka Bakhtadze (born 1982)	20 June 2018	2 September 2019	1 year, 74 days		Georgian Dream	—	Bakhtadze
14		Giorgi Gakharia (born 1975)	8 September 2019	18 February 2021	1 year, 163 days		Georgian Dream	—	Gakharia I
								2020	Gakharia II
—		Maya Tskitishvili (born 1974)	18 February 2021	21 February 2021	4 days		Georgian Dream	—		[12]
15		Irakli Garibashvili (born 1982)	22 February 2021	29 January 2024	2 years, 341 days		Georgian Dream	—	Garibashvili II
16		Irakli Kobakhidze (born 1978)	8 February 2024	Incumbent (Disputed)	1 year, 79 days		Georgian Dream	2024[13]	Kobakhidze

Timeline

See Also

• President of Georgia

Notes

1. Due to the disputed 2024 Georgian parliamentary election, Kobakhidze is no longer recognized as a legitimate Prime Minister of Georgia by all elected opposition parties, outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili, and Georgian constitutional experts.
2. Prime Minister of the rebel government at Zugdidi 24 September—6 November 1993