Salome Zourabichvili facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Salome Zourabichvili
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სალომე ზურაბიშვილი
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Zourabichvili in 2024
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| 5th President of Georgia | |
| In office 16 December 2018 – Disputed |
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| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Giorgi Margvelashvili |
| Succeeded by | Mikheil Kavelashvili (disputed) |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 20 March 2004 – 18 October 2005 |
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| President | Mikheil Saakashvili |
| Preceded by | Tedo Japaridze |
| Succeeded by | Gela Bezhuashvili |
| Leader of The Way of Georgia | |
| In office 11 March 2006 – 12 November 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Party established |
| Succeeded by | Kakha Seturidze |
| Member of the Parliament of Georgia | |
| In office 18 November 2016 – 22 December 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Zaza Papuashvili |
| Succeeded by | Lado Kakhadze |
| Parliamentary group | Independent |
| Constituency | Mtatsminda |
| Ambassador of France to Georgia | |
| In office 11 September 2003 – 20 March 2004 |
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| President | Jacques Chirac |
| Preceded by | Mireille Musso |
| Succeeded by | Philippe Lefort |
| Personal details | |
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Salomé Zourabichvili
18 March 1952 Paris, France |
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Georgian Dream (2018) |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 2 |
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| Education | |
| Signature |  |
Salome Zourabichvili (born March 18, 1952) is a politician and former diplomat from Georgia. She was born in France. Since December 2018, she has been the fifth President of Georgia. She is also the first woman to hold this important position in the country.
Because of changes to Georgia's rules in 2024, Salome Zourabichvili is expected to be the last president chosen directly by the people. Future presidents will be chosen by a group of lawmakers. There is currently a disagreement about who is the rightful president. Zourabichvili believes she is still president until a new, properly chosen leader takes over.
Contents
About Salome Zourabichvili
Her Family Roots
Salome Zourabichvili was born into a family of Georgians who moved to France. They left Georgia after an invasion in 1921. Her father, Levan Zourabichvili, was an engineer. He led the Georgian Association of France for many years.
Levan's grandfather was Niko Nikoladze. He was a famous Georgian politician and businessman in the late 1800s. Salome's mother, Zeïnab Kedia, was the daughter of Melkisedek Kedia. He was in charge of the Security Service in Georgia back then.
Salome has a brother named Othar Zourabichvili. He is a doctor and a writer. She also has famous cousins, including historian Hélène Carrère d'Encausse.
Her Early Life
Salomé Nino Zourabichvili was born in Paris on March 18, 1952. She grew up in the Georgian community in France. This community had settled there after Georgia's government fell in 1921.
Her only connection to Georgia as a child was through books and the Georgian community. She once said Georgia felt like a "mythical country" to her. When she was 8, she secretly met a visitor from Georgia. She felt comfortable living with both French and Georgian cultures.
Her College Years
At 17, Salome got into the Paris Institute of Political Studies, also known as Sciences Po. This was a special program for students interested in diplomacy. She studied topics like revolutions in Europe.
In 1970, she joined the International Section of Sciences Po. This path was for students who wanted to become diplomats. She learned from well-known French professors. Her studies focused on the Soviet world. She finished her studies in July 1972.
Later, she went to Columbia University in 1972-1973. There, she learned about Soviet politics and the Cold War. She said she chose diplomacy hoping to help Georgia one day.
Her Teaching Work
After being Georgia's Foreign Minister, Zourabichvili returned to Sciences Po in 2006. She taught there until 2014. Her classes covered topics like foreign policy and the post-Soviet world.
She was the first student and teacher from Sciences Po to become a head of state.
Her Family Life
Salome Zourabichvili has two children from her first marriage to Nicolas Gorjestani. Their names are Kéthévane and Teymouraz. Kéthévane is a journalist, and Teymouraz is a French diplomat.
In 1993, she married Janri Kashia. He was a Georgian writer and journalist. Janri Kashia passed away in 2012. Besides French and Georgian, Salome Zourabichvili also speaks English and Italian very well.
Her Career in France
Starting as a Diplomat
In 1974, Zourabichvili joined the French diplomatic service. She worked as a diplomat in different countries. First, she was in the French Embassy in Rome until 1977.
Then, she worked at the French Mission to the United Nations until 1980. She saw France lead the UN Security Council twice. After working in Paris, she went to the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. in 1984. She focused on relations between the US and the Soviet Union.
In 1986, she visited Georgia for the first time. Between 1988 and 1989, she worked in Vienna. There, she helped with talks about reducing military forces. From 1989 to 1992, she was at the French Embassy in Chad.
Working in Brussels and Paris
In 1992, Zourabichvili moved to Brussels. She worked for the French Mission to NATO. Later, she became the Deputy Permanent Representative to the Western European Union.
From 1996 to 2001, she held various roles in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris. She worked on strategic affairs and security. She also worked with NATO's Bureau of Strategic Affairs.
Ambassador to Georgia
From 2003 to 2004, Zourabichvili served as France's Ambassador to Georgia. This was a very important role.
Her Work in Georgian Politics
Becoming Foreign Minister
In March 2004, Georgia's President, Mikhail Saakashvili, chose her as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This made her the first woman to hold this job in Georgia. As Foreign Minister, she was in charge of Georgia's relationships with other countries.
She helped negotiate an agreement for Russian military bases to leave Georgia. This agreement was signed in May 2005. During her time, a "New Group of Friends of Georgia" was formed. This group included countries like Ukraine and Poland. They helped Georgia work towards joining NATO and the European Union.
In October 2005, she was removed from her position. This happened after some disagreements with members of Parliament. Before she was dismissed, she left the French foreign service. She decided to stay in Georgia and enter politics there.
Her Political Path
In November 2005, Zourabichvili started her own group. In January 2006, she created a new political party called Georgia's Way. She spoke out against what she saw as a "one-party system" in the country.
She had a good reputation, but it was hard for her to gain strong political support at first. In 2007, her party joined an alliance of opposition groups. In 2009, she led a protest march in Tbilisi. This was part of a campaign to ask President Mikheil Saakashvili to step down.
In 2010, Zourabichvili left the leadership of Georgia's Way. After a break from politics, she supported the Georgian Dream party in the 2013 presidential elections. However, she could not run for president herself. This was because she had both Georgian and French citizenship at the time.
In the 2016 elections, Zourabichvili won a seat in Parliament. She represented the Mtatsminda district in Tbilisi. She became a Member of Parliament (MP) in November. As an MP, she was a deputy leader of the committee for Georgian people living abroad.
Running for President in 2018
In April 2017, Zourabichvili hinted that she might run for president. In August 2018, she officially started her presidential campaign. She launched it from the home of her ancestor, Niko Nikoladze.
Before the election, she gave up her French citizenship. Georgia's rules say that people with dual citizenship cannot be president. In September 2018, the Georgian Dream party announced they would support her.
The presidential election was held in October 2018. Zourabichvili received a good number of votes. This meant she would go to a second round of voting. In the second round, held in November, she won with 59.52% of the votes. She became the first woman president in Georgia's history.
As President of Georgia
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Her Inauguration Day
On December 16, 2018, Salome Zourabichvili became the 5th President of Georgia. The ceremony took place at the Erekle II Palace in Telavi. She wore a white and red outfit, matching the colors of the Georgian flag.
About 1800 guests attended the event. Important people like the previous president and the head of the Georgian Church were there. The President of Armenia and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy also attended. When she became president, a new set of rules for Georgia came into effect. These rules gave less power to the president and more to the Parliament and Prime Minister.
Her Work at Home
In March 2019, President Zourabichvili gave her first yearly report to Parliament. She talked about her visits to other countries. In April 2021, she hosted a special dinner for the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. This dinner brought together leaders from different political groups in Georgia.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In March 2020, President Zourabichvili canceled her trips abroad. This was because of the growing COVID-19 threat. On March 21, she declared a state of emergency in Georgia. This was to help control the spread of the virus.
The state of emergency was extended until May. In December 2020, she met with the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Europe. They talked about Georgia's health measures and vaccines.
Her Foreign Policy
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As President, Zourabichvili traveled to many countries. She represented Georgia and worked to help its interests. In September 2019, she spoke at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. She talked about Georgia's political situation, health care, and climate change.
She visited leaders in Belgium, France, Ukraine, Germany, and other countries. In March 2022, Georgia officially applied to join the European Union. In an interview, Zourabichvili said Georgia wanted to join NATO and the EU faster.
Her Official Home and Funding
During her election campaign, Zourabichvili said she would not work from the large Avlabari Presidential Palace. After she was elected, her office moved to the smaller Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi. She even walked to her new office on her first day.
Her office also faced big budget cuts. The funding for the presidential office was reduced by a lot of money. This meant that many employees had to be let go. The presidential fund, which supported scholarships and other projects, was also removed.
Recent Political Events
On December 29, 2024, Salome Zourabichvili left the Orbeliani Palace. This happened when Mikheil Kavelashvili was sworn in as president. However, Zourabichvili stated that she is still the rightful president. She said she was taking away the "legitimacy" and "flag" from the building.
In February, the European Parliament did not recognize the new authorities in Georgia. This included the newly appointed Mikheil Kavelashvili.
Her Political Views
Women's Rights
As Georgia's first woman president, Zourabichvili has spoken up for women's rights. She has used social media and political speeches to support equality. She has also organized meetings for women leaders. She believes women's role in society is very important for the country's growth.
Monarchy
During the 2008 presidential election, Zourabichvili and other politicians supported the idea of a constitutional monarchy. This means having a king or queen with limited powers. The head of the Georgian Church also supported this idea.
Awards and Honors
Salome Zourabichvili has received several awards from other countries:
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France | Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (2003) |
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France | Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite |
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Italy | Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy (1978) |
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Italy | Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2022) |
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Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem | Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (2020) |
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Cyprus | Grand Collar of the Order of Makarios III (2021) |
Images for kids
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Zourabichvili with Nancy Pelosi
See also
In Spanish: Salomé Zurabishvili para niños
