Irakli Kobakhidze facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Irakli Kobakhidze
|
|
|---|---|
|
ირაკლი კობახიძე
|
|
.jpg)
Kobakhidze in 2024
|
|
| 16th Prime Minister of Georgia | |
|
Disputed
|
|
| Assumed office 8 February 2024 |
|
| President | Salome Zourabichvili Mikheil Kavelashvili |
| Deputy |
|
| Preceded by | Irakli Garibashvili |
| Chairman of Georgian Dream | |
| In office 11 January 2021 – 1 February 2024 |
|
| Preceded by | Bidzina Ivanishvili |
| Succeeded by | Irakli Garibashvili |
| Political Secretary of Georgian Dream | |
| Assumed office 1 February 2024 |
|
| Preceded by | Irakli Garibashvili |
| Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia | |
| In office 18 November 2016 – 21 June 2019 |
|
| President | |
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Davit Usupashvili |
| Succeeded by |
|
| Leader of the Parliamentary Majority | |
| In office 11 December 2020 – 8 February 2024 |
|
| Preceded by | Mamuka Mdinaradze |
| Succeeded by | Mamuka Mdinaradze |
| Member of the Parliament of Georgia | |
| In office 18 November 2016 – 8 February 2024 |
|
| Executive Secretary of Georgian Dream | |
| In office January 2015 – 11 January 2021 |
|
| Succeeded by | Mamuka Mdinaradze |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 September 1978 Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Georgian Dream (2015—present) |
| Spouse | Natalia Motsonelidze |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater |
|
| Signature |  |
Irakli Kobakhidze (Georgian: ირაკლი კობახიძე; born on 25 September 1978) is an important Georgian politician. He has been the 16th Prime Minister of Georgia since February 2024.
Before becoming Prime Minister, he was the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia from 2016 to 2019. He was also a member of the Georgian Parliament from 2016 to 2024. From 2021 to 2024, he led the Georgian Dream political party as its chairman. Before entering politics, he taught at Tbilisi State University.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Irakli Kobakhidze was born in Tbilisi, which was then part of the Soviet Union, on 25 September 1978. His father, Giorgi Kobakhidze, was a physicist and also a politician. Giorgi Kobakhidze served in the Parliament and was even its vice-president.
Irakli Kobakhidze studied law at Tbilisi State University, graduating in 2000. He then continued his studies in Germany at the University of Düsseldorf. There, he earned a master's degree in law and a PhD in 2006.
Before joining politics, Kobakhidze worked on various projects. He was a regional coordinator for a public education project from 2000 to 2001. From 2006 to 2014, he worked as an expert and project manager for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He also taught as an assistant professor at Tbilisi State University and an associate professor at Caucasus University. Since 2014, he has been an associate professor at Tbilisi State University.
Political Career Beginnings
In 2015, Irakli Kobakhidze became the Executive Secretary of Georgia's main political party, Georgian Dream. In this role, he helped manage the party's internal affairs. He played a big part in the party's success in the 2016 parliamentary elections and the 2017 local elections. In 2016, he was elected to the Georgian Parliament. He was re-elected in the 2020 parliamentary election.
Chairman of Parliament (2016–2019)
.jpg)
On 18 November 2016, Irakli Kobakhidze was chosen as the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia. This means he led the country's main law-making body. He received strong support from other members of Parliament.
Under his leadership, the Parliament worked to build stronger relationships with other countries. They created special groups with parliaments from Ukraine, Moldova, and Poland. They also signed agreements with parliaments from countries like Poland, Latvia, Uzbekistan, and Serbia.
In 2017, he supported a plan to have more women in Parliament. This plan was called the Gender Quota Bill. In April 2019, he suggested naming the main meeting room of the Parliament after Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Gamsakhurdia was Georgia's first president chosen by the people.
Changes to the Constitution
During his time as Chairman, the Georgian Parliament made important changes to the country's Constitution. Kobakhidze led the group that wrote the new Constitution. These changes helped make Georgia a parliamentary system of government. This means that the Parliament and the Prime Minister have more power.
The changes also made parliamentary elections fully proportional. This system helps smaller parties get seats in Parliament. The president's powers were reduced, and direct presidential elections were stopped. The role of Parliament and the rights of opposition parties became stronger.
Leaving the Chairmanship
Irakli Kobakhidze decided to step down from his role as Chairman during the 2019 Georgian protests. He continued to be a member of Parliament. Archil Talakvadze took over as Chairman after him.
Chairman of Georgian Dream Party
On 11 January 2021, Irakli Kobakhidze was chosen as the new chairman of the Georgian Dream party. This made him the leader of the ruling political party in Georgia.
In June 2022, the European Parliament made some decisions that affected Georgia. They did not immediately give Georgia a special "candidate status" for joining the European Union (EU).
Kobakhidze stated that Georgia would still work towards becoming a member of the EU. He said the country would continue its journey to join the European Union.
Prime Minister of Georgia (2024–Present)
On 29 January 2024, news spread that the "Georgian Dream" party planned to choose Kobakhidze as the next Prime Minister. Soon after, Irakli Garibashvili, who was the Prime Minister, announced he would resign. Garibashvili then took over Kobakhidze's role as chairman of the Georgian Dream party.
The party officially nominated Kobakhidze to be the Prime Minister. On 8 February, the Parliament voted, and he was confirmed as Prime Minister. Most members of Parliament supported him. When he became Prime Minister, Kobakhidze said his government would focus on ending the Russian occupation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. He also said they would work to reduce poverty in Georgia.
His first official trip abroad as Prime Minister was to Brussels in February 2024. On 28 November 2024, Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would pause its process of joining the European Union until 2028. Georgia also decided not to accept any money grants from the EU until the end of 2028.
Personal Life
Irakli Kobakhidze is married to Natalya Mossanelidze. They have two children together. Besides Georgian, he can speak English, German, and Russian.
Published Works
- "Law of Political Unions" (2008)
- "Constitutional Law" (2019)
Awards and Honors
- Honoris causa from Belarusian State University (2017)
- "Parliamentary Order of Freedom" (Parliament of Georgia, 2021)
- "Sabino Arana prize" (Basque Nationalist Party, 2023)
See also
In Spanish: Irakli Kobajidze para niños
