GOVERNMENT
Georgia has been a democratic republic since the presidential elections and constitutional referendum of October 1995. The President is elected for a term of 5 years, limited to 2 terms; the constitutional successor is the Speaker of Parliament.
Parliamentary elections on November 2, 2003 were marred by irregularities and fraud according to local and international observers. Popular demonstrations ensued in the streets of Tbilisi; protestors carried roses in their hands and these peaceful protests became known as the Rose Revolution. Former President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned on November 23, 2003, and the Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze assumed the role of Interim President. President Mikheil Saakashvili was elected to a 5-year term in January 2004. Parliamentary elections were re-held in March 2004 and President Saakashvili's party, National Movement, combined with Speaker Burjanadze's party, the Burjanadze-Democrats, won the majority of seats.
On May 24, 2005, the Parliament passed legislation to decentralize power from the central government in Tbilisi to local government authorities in the regions. Elections were held on October 5, 2006 for 1,732 members of 69 local councils and seven city governments.
In September 2007, following the arrest of former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, nine opposition parties formed the United National Council (UNC) and issued four demands to the government, including moving up parliamentary elections from the fall to the spring of 2008. The Council organized protests throughout Georgia in October and staged a large rally in front of the Parliament on November 2. Opposition leaders began to demand the president's resignation, and violence ensued when the police dispersed protesters in front of the Parliament on November 7. As a result, President Saakashvili officially resigned on November 25 and called snap presidential elections for January 5, 2008.
On January 5, President Saakashvili was reelected to a second 5-year term with 53.45% of the vote. Levan Gachechiladze, the UNC candidate, earned 25.68%. Voters also overwhelmingly voted in two plebiscites in favor of NATO integration and spring parliamentary elections.
POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
Since 2004, the Government of Georgia has turned a nearly failed state into a rapidly maturing market democracy. In 2006, Parliament passed sweeping local government reforms designed to decentralize power to the regions and give local governments increased authority. Presidential, parliamentary, and municipal elections have been judged to be largely free and fair, although problems remain with voter lists, abuse of administrative resources, media access, and intimidation of voters. The government has taken action against endemic corruption, completely reorganizing the notorious traffic police. Corrupt judges were dismissed, and a fair examination system for entering the universities was implemented.
Georgia has received high marks from the World Bank and others on the government's aggressive anti-corruption campaign. Democratic institutions were strengthened as public service reform gained momentum and judicial reform was acknowledged as a priority. Constitutional amendments signed into law in 2006 increased the independence of the judiciary; further reforms have aimed at increasing respect for and strengthening the rule of law. In July 2007, legislation banning ex parte communication was passed, prohibiting parties to a case from communicating with judges during the pre-trial investigation period as well as during the trial. Legislation requiring the Ministry of Justice to establish a legal aid office was also passed, making available assistance and representation in court proceedings to those who request it. The Georgian legislature has instituted political reforms supportive of higher human rights standards, including religious freedoms that are enshrined in the constitution. The government has launched an aggressive campaign to combat trafficking in persons.
Georgia is seeking membership in Euro-Atlantic institutions, particularly the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and eventually the European Union (EU), and much progress has been made reforming Georgia's military. In September 2006, NATO granted Georgia Intensified Dialogue on requirements for membership in the organization.
The separatist conflict in Abkhazia continues to simmer, with frequent accusations from the Georgian Government that ethnic Georgians in Abkhazia face discrimination from the Abkhaz de facto authorities. The Abkhaz de facto authorities seek full independence from Georgia, and are currently refusing talks following the reassertion of Georgian Government control over the upper Kodori Valley area of Abkhazia in the summer of 2006. Since December 1993, the United Nations has chaired negotiations toward a settlement in Abkhazia. The UN mediator is the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG), currently Ambassador Jean Arnault. The Group of Friends of the UN Secretary General on Georgia (consisting of the United States, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom) supports the UN-led peace process. UNOMIG and the Friends continue to encourage the adoption of confidence-building measures in the region. The Georgian Government has repeatedly expressed its desire to internationalize the CIS peacekeeping contingent but has made no official demand for the peacekeepers in Abkhazia to leave. For more information on the separatist conflict in Georgia's Abkhazia region, see the Department of State's fact sheet on Abkhazia http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/fs/53745.htm. The United States supports the strengthening of Georgia's territorial integrity through peaceful means. Unilaterally and as a member of the Group of Friends, the U.S. seeks to advance negotiations toward a comprehensive settlement of the conflict, including on Abkhazia's future status within Georgia and the safe and dignified return of refugees and internally-displaced persons.
The 1992 Sochi Agreement established a cease-fire between the Georgian and South Ossetian forces, and defined both a zone of conflict around the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali and a security corridor along the border of South Ossetian territories. The South Ossetia region is comprised of a patchwork of Georgian villages interspersed with ethnic Ossetian villages. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors the ceasefire and facilitates negotiations between the Georgians and the South Ossetians toward a comprehensive settlement consistent with Georgian independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The Agreement also created the Joint Control Commission (JCC) and a peacekeeping body, the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF). The JPKF is under Russian command and is comprised of peacekeepers from Georgia, Russia, and Russia's North Ossetian autonomous republic. South Ossetian peacekeepers serve in the North Ossetian contingent. Talks on South Ossetia are held under the auspices of the JCC, with Georgian, Russian, North Ossetian, and South Ossetian delegations participating. The Georgian Government has frequently complained that the current format for talks puts Georgia at a disadvantage, and would like greater participation by the international community.
In January of 2005, Georgian President Saakashvili put forth a proposal to give autonomous status to South Ossetia within Georgia. The United States welcomed President Saakashvili's initiative to resolve the conflict through peaceful means and continues to look for ways to encourage a lasting resolution of the conflict. An alternative leader in South Ossetia emerged in November 2006, when ethnic Ossetian Dmitry Sanakoyev was elected in a de facto presidential election, largely by the ethnic Georgian population. Sanakoyev heads a Temporary Administrative Unit in Kurta, South Ossetia.
The United States supports the territorial integrity of Georgia and supports a peaceful resolution of the conflict within Georgia's internationally recognized borders, while affording South Ossetia significant autonomy within a unified Georgia. The United States views Georgia's autonomy proposal as an important step in a peace process that should be marked by direct and frequent negotiations between the two sides. International donors, including the United States, launched an economic rehabilitation project in 2006 to help establish a peaceful and prosperous future for South Ossetia within Georgia. For more information on the separatist conflict in Georgia's South Ossetia region, see the Department of State's fact sheet on South Ossetia http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/fs/53721.htm.
Principal
Government Officials
President--Mikheil Saakashvili
Prime Minister--Lado Gurgenidze
Speaker of Parliament--Nino Burjanadze
Foreign Minister--Davit Bakradze
Defense Minister--David Kezerashvili
Interior Minister--Vano Merabishvili
State Minister of Refugees and Accommodation--Koba Subeliani
State Minister for Reintegration Issues--Temur Iakobashvili
Justice Minister--Nika Gvaramia
Ambassador to the United States--Vasil Sikharulidze
Georgia
maintains an embassy
in the United States at 1101 15th Street NW, Suite 602, Washington,
DC 20005, telephone (202) 387-4537, fax (202) 393-4537.
Government
Type: Republic.
Constitution: August 24, 1995; amended February, April, and June 2004; December 2005; and January 2007.
Branches: Executive: president with State Chancellery. Legislative: unicameral parliament, 235 members. Judicial: Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, and local courts.
Subdivisions: 67 electoral districts, including those within the two autonomous republics (Abkhazia and Adjara) and five independent cities.
Major political parties and leaders: United National Movement-Democrats [Mikheil Saakashvili]; Industry Will Save Georgia (Industrialists) [Georgi Topadze]; Labor Party [Shalva Natelashvili]; National Democratic Party [Bachuki Kardava]; New Rights [David Gamkrelidze]; Republican Party [David Usupashvili]; Traditionalists [Akaki Asatiani]; Union of National Forces-Conservatives [Koba Davitashvili and Zviad Dzidziguri], Georgia's Way [Salome Zourabichvili].
Suffrage: Universal over 18 years of age.
