Government of Georgia (country)

The Government of Georgia (Georgian: საქართველოს მთავრობა, romanized: sakartvelos mtavroba) is the main group in charge of running the country. It decides on important matters both inside and outside Georgia. The government is led by the prime minister, who is the head of the government, along with other leaders called ministers. They all answer to the Parliament of Georgia.

Today, the powers and jobs of the government are set by changes made to the Constitution of Georgia in 2017 and 2018. Before that, from May 14, 1991, to November 9, 1996, the government was known as the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Georgia.

The current government, led by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, began on February 8, 2024. This group works together to help Georgia grow and stay strong.

Constitutional framework

The Government of Georgia is led by a prime minister and includes several ministers who manage different areas of public administration. The prime minister has the power to appoint and dismiss ministers and can assign one of them to be the vice prime minister. The government must follow strict rules and cannot hold other jobs or earn money from other work, except for teaching or academic work.

The prime minister and the government must answer to the Parliament of Georgia. If the prime minister leaves office or the government needs a new leader, the Parliament must approve a new one within two weeks. If they do not approve the new government in time, the president of Georgia can dissolve the Parliament and call new elections. The Parliament can also vote to remove the government if more than one third of its members agree, and they must suggest a new prime minister at the same time.

History

The top leadership group in Georgia started on 26 May 1918, when the first Georgian Republic was created. The group was chosen by the National Council of Georgia and followed rules set in a Constitution from 1921. However, when the Red Army came into Georgia in 1921, the leaders left the country and kept working from France for a while.

Later, Georgia became part of the Soviet Union, and its leaders were called the Council of People's Commissars. After Georgia became independent again, the leaders were known as the Cabinet of Ministers, led by a prime minister chosen by the president. In 1995, Georgia changed its rules so the president had more control. But in 2004, the prime minister and the Government of Georgia were brought back. Since then, Georgia has changed to a system where the prime minister and the government have most of the power, and the president mostly represents the country.

Budget

The Government of Georgia planned to spend 24 billion Georgian Lari, which is about 9.04 billion US dollars, in 2023. This was a big increase from 2022, when the budget was 4.8 billion Georgian Lari. The budget grew by 19.2 billion Georgian Lari from 2022 to 2023.

Current Cabinet

See also: Second Kobakhidze government