The Government of Georgia - CountriesPedia

Georgia - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Georgia, it was the Western name may derive from the Persian designation "gurgan" meaning "Land of the Wolves"; the native name "Sak'art'velo" means "Land of the Kartvelians" and refers to the core central Georgian region of Kartli. The Government system in this country is the semi-presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes:

9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 1 city (kalaki), and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika)

regions: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli; note - the breakaway region of South Ossetia consists of the northern part of Shida Kartli, eastern slivers of the Imereti region and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, and part of western Mtskheta-Mtianeti

city: Tbilisi

autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika (Bat'umi)

National symbols

Saint George, lion; national colors: red, white.

The flag

The National flag of Georgia has white rectangle with a central red cross extending to all four sides of the flag; each of the four quadrants displays a small red bolnur-katskhuri cross; sometimes referred to as the Five-Cross Flag; although adopted as the official Georgian flag in 2004, the five-cross design is based on a 14th century banner of the Kingdom of Georgia.

The National Anthem

Title	"Tavisupleba" (Liberty)
Lyric/music	Davit MAGRADSE/Zakaria PALIASHVILI (adapted by Joseb KETSCHAKMADSE)

note: adopted 2004; after the Rose Revolution, a new anthem with music based on the operas "Abesalom da Eteri" and "Daisi" was adopted

More about the government of Georgia

Constitution
Date of Independence	9 April 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier date: A.D. 1008 (Georgia unified under King BAGRAT III)
National holiday	Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 was the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Legal system	civil law system
International law organization participation	accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
History	Previous 1921, 1978 (based on 1977 Soviet Union constitution); latest approved 24 August 1995, effective 17 October 1995
Amendments	Proposed as a draft law supported by more than one half of the Parliament membership or by petition of at least 200,000 voters; passage requires support by at least three fourths of the Parliament membership in two successive sessions three months apart and the signature and promulgation by the president of Georgia; amended several times, last in 2020 (legislative electoral system revised)
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of Georgia
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	10 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President Salome ZOURABICHVILI (since 16 December 2018)
Head of government	Prime Minister Irakli KOBAKHIDZE (since 8 February 2024)
Cabinet	Cabinet of Ministers
Elections/appointments	president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 November 2018 (next to be held in 2024); prime minister nominated by Parliament, appointed by the president; note - 2017 constitutional amendments made the 2018 election the last where the president was directly elected; future presidents will be elected by a 300-member College of Electors; in light of these changes, ZOURABICHVILI was allowed a six-year term
Election results	2024: Irakli KOBAKHIDZE approved as prime minister by Parliamentary vote 84-10 2018: Salome ZOURABICHVILI elected president in second round; percent of vote in second round - Salome ZOURABICHVILI (independent, backed by Georgian Dream) 59.5%, Grigol VASHADZE (UNM) 40.5%; Irakli GARIBASHVILI approved as prime minister by Parliamentary vote 89-2; note-resigned on January 29, 2024
Legislative branch
Description	Unicameral Parliament or Sakartvelos Parlamenti (150 seats statutory, 140 as of May 2023); 120 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed, party-list proportional representation vote and 30 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by at least 50% majority vote, with a runoff if needed; no party earning less than 40% of total votes may claim a majority; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections	Last held on 31 October and 21 November 2020 (next to be held in October 2024)
Election results	Percent of vote by party - Georgian Dream 48.2%, UNM 27.2%, European Georgia 3.8%, Lelo 3.2%, Strategy 3.2%, Alliance of Patriots 3.1%, Girchi 2.9%, Citizens 1.3%, Labor 1%; seats by party - Georgian Dream 90, UNM 36, European Georgia 5, Lelo 4, Strategy 4, Alliance of Patriots 4, Girchi 4, Citizens 2, Labor 1; composition - men 113, women 27, percentage women 19.3%
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court (consists of 28 judges organized into several specialized judicial chambers; number of judges determined by the president of Georgia); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges); note - the Abkhazian and Ajarian Autonomous republics each have a supreme court and a hierarchy of lower courts
Judge selection and term of office	Supreme Court judges nominated by the High Council of Justice (a 14-member body consisting of the Supreme Court chairperson, common court judges, and appointees of the president of Georgia) and appointed by Parliament; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Court judges appointed 3 each by the president, by Parliament, and by the Supreme Court judges; judges appointed for 10-year terms
Subordinate courts	Courts of Appeal; regional (town) and district courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador David ZALKALIANI (since 7 June 2022)
Chancery	1824 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone	[1] (202) 387-2390
FAX	[1] (202) 387-0864
Email address and website	[email protected] https://georgiaembassyusa.org/contact/
Consulate(s) general	New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Robin L. DUNNIGAN (since 12 October 2023)
Embassy	29 Georgian-American Friendship Avenue, Didi Dighomi, Tbilisi, 0131
Mailing address	7060 Tbilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060
Telephone	[995] (32) 227-70-00
FAX	[995] (32) 253-23-10
Email address and website	[email protected] https://ge.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	4 (3 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Gelati Monastery (c); Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (c); Upper Svaneti (c); Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands (n)