Giorgi Gakharia

Giorgi Gakharia (Georgian: გიორგი გახარია; born 19 March 1975) is a Georgian politician and the Prime Minister since 8 September 2019.[2]

Giorgi Gakharia გიორგი გახარია[1]
Gakharia in 2018
Prime Minister of Georgia
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 September 2019
President	Salome Zourabichvili
Preceded by	Mamuka Bakhtadze
Minister of Internal Affairs
In office 13 November 2017 – 8 September 2019
Prime Minister	Giorgi Kvirikashvili Mamuka Bakhtadze
Preceded by	Giorgi Mgebrishvili
Succeeded by	Vakhtang Gomelauri
First Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia
In office 17 July 2018 – 8 September 2019
Prime Minister	Mamuka Bakhtadze
Preceded by	Dimitri Kumsishvili
Succeeded by	Thea Tsulukiani
Secretary of the National Security Council
In office 1 May 2019 – 3 September 2019
Prime Minister	Mamuka Bakhtadze
Preceded by	David Rakviashvili
Succeeded by	Levan Izoria
Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development
In office 27 November 2016 – 13 November 2017
Prime Minister	Giorgi Kvirikashvili
Preceded by	Dimitri Kumsishvili
Succeeded by	Dimitri Kumsishvili
Secretary of the Economic Council
In office December 2014 – September 2016
Prime Minister	Irakli Gharibashvili Giorgi Kvirikashvili
Business Ombudsman of Georgia
In office March 2013 – July 2016
Personal details
Born	(1975-03-19) 19 March 1975 Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union (now Georgia)
Political party	Georgian Dream
Signature

Education

In 1992–1994 Gakharia studied at Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University, faculty of History. In 1994–1999 he studied at Lomonosov Moscow State University. He is a Master of Political Science.[3] In 2002–2004 he studied at Lomonosov Moscow State University's Higher Business School (Master of Business Management). In 2006–2009 he was an invited lecturer in Applied Biotechnology at Moscow State University.[3]

Business activity

From May, 2004 to November, 2008 Gakharia took the position of the Director-General of SFK Group; from November, 2008 to February, 2013 he took the position of the Director of Germany GR & Business Development at the Lufthansa Service Holding AG. (LSG, Frankfurt am Main) in Eastern Europe, CIS countries and Russian Federation.[3]

Political career

Giorgi Gakharia started his political career since March 2013, when he became the Business Ombudsman of Georgia, which he served in July 2016. From December 2014 to September 2016, Gakharia was the Secretary of Economic Council. He was appointed on 2. November 2016 to the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.

Ministry of Internal Affairs

In November, 2017 the Government of Georgia was reshuffled, including the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; consequently, on November 13, 2017 Giorgi Gakharia was appointed to the post of the Minister of Internal Affairs, replacing Giorgi Mgebrishvili.[3]

Infantry Patrol

Several months after the appointment, for ensuring the security for tourists and tourist areas the Infantry Patrol Subunit was created within the Patrol Police Department of the Ministry. Infantry patrol officers have received 3-week special retraining courses at the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; all of them know one or more foreign languages. They are provided with modern police equipment, including the latest generation of shoulder cameras.[4]

Human Rights Protection Department

The Human Rights Protection Department was created on January 1, 2018, in one month from the appointment of Giorgi Gakharia to the position of the Minister of Internal Affairs. The competences of the Department cover the timely response and effective investigation into the cases such as domestic offenses, violence against women, crimes committed on the ground of discrimination, trafficking, crime by/against juveniles.

2019 Georgian protests

Gakharia's resignation as Interior Minister was sought during the 2019 Georgian protests, following a violent crackdown on protestors in June 2019.[5][6]

Premier

He was nominated to the post of Prime Minister on 3 September 2019, to replace Mamuka Bakhtadze who had resigned the day before. The nomination of Gakharia was controversial, with some opposition parties leaving the parliamentary debate over his candidacy. However as the ruling Georgian Dream party has a supermajority, Gakharia was confirmed.[7] After being nominated as the Prime Minister, on 8 September 2019, Gakharia's incoming cabinet won the parliamentary vote of confidence with 98 votes for with none against. [3]

References

1. Prime Minister of Georgia – Giorgi Gakharia (გიორგი გახარია)
2. "Georgia's interior minister nominated for PM post: RIA". Reuters. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
3. "Giorgi Gakharia". Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
4. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia continues Patrol Police reform
5. "Georgians are taking a stand against Vladimir Putin. Where is the West?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
6. "Russia suspends Georgia flights after violent clashes". 2019-06-22. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
7. Lomsadze, Giorgi (3 September 2019). "Controversial minister slated to be Georgia's next PM". Eurasianet. Retrieved 3 September 2019.

Media related to Giorgi Gakharia at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices
Preceded by Dimitri Kumsishvili	Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development 2016–2017	Succeeded by Dimitri Kumsishvili
Preceded by Mamuka Bakhtadze	Prime Minister of Georgia 2019–present	Incumbent