# 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.
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.
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.

## 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.

## 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.

## 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 and countersigns some of the acts issued by the president of Georgia.
The prime minister has the right to use the defense forces without the Parliament's approval during martial law. During the martial law, the prime minister becomes a member of the National Defense Council, a consultative body chaired by the president of Georgia. 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 | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Political party | Elected | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Political party | Elected | Ref. |
| 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 | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Political party | Elected | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Political party | Elected | Ref. |
| 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 | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Political party | Elected | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Political party | Elected | Ref. |
| 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 | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Political party | Elected | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Political party | Elected | Ref. |
| — | | 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 | 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)

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Political party | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Political party | Ref. |
| 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 | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Political party | Elected | Government(s) | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Political party | Elected | Government(s) | Ref. |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 12 | | Giorgi Kvirikashvili (born 1967) | 30 December 2015 | 30 June 2018 | 2 years, 165 days | | Georgian Dream | 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 | |
| 14 | | Giorgi Gakharia (born 1975) | 8 September 2019 | 18 February 2021 | 1 year, 163 days | | Georgian Dream | 2020 | Gakharia II | |
| — | | Maya Tskitishvili (born 1974) | 18 February 2021 | 21 February 2021 | 4 days | | Georgian Dream | — | Gakharia II | |
| 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, 31 days | | Georgian Dream | 2024 | Kobakhidze | |

## See Also

* President of Georgia