Zurab Zhvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zurab Zhvania
ზურაბ ჟვანია
4th Prime Minister of Georgia
In office 17 February 2004 – 3 February 2005
President	Mikheil Saakashvili
Preceded by	Office established; Himself as the State Minister of Georgia
Succeeded by	Mikheil Saakashvili (Acting)
State Minister of Georgia
In office 23 November 2003 – 17 February 2004
President	Nino Burjanadze (Acting) Mikheil Saakashvili
Preceded by	Avtandil Jorbenadze
Succeeded by	Office abolished; himself as the Prime Minister of Georgia
2nd Chairman of the Parliament
In office 25 November 1995 – 1 November 2001
President	Eduard Shevardnadze
Preceded by	Eduard Shevardnadze
Succeeded by	Nino Burjanadze
Member of the Parliament of Georgia
In office 4 November 1992 – 5 February 2004
General Secretary of the Union of Citizens of Georgia
Personal details
Born	9 December 1963 (1963-12-09) Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, USSR (now Georgia)
Died	3 February 2005 (2005-02-04) (aged 41) Tbilisi, Georgia
Political party	United National Movement (2004-2005) United Democrats (2002-2004) Union of Citizens of Georgia (1995-2002) Green Party of Georgia (1992-1995)
Alma mater	Tbilisi State University
Signature

Zurab Zhvania (Georgian: ზურაბ ჟვანია; December 9, 1963 – February 3, 2005) was an important politician from the country of Georgia. He served as the Prime Minister of Georgia and also as the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia.

Zhvania started his political journey when he was young. He was part of the Green Party in the early 1990s. In 1993, he became the General Secretary of Eduard Shevardnadze's political party. From then until his death in 2005, Zhvania played a big role in Georgian politics.

In 1995, he became the chairman of the parliament. He stayed in this job until 2001. Later, in 2003, Zhvania joined other leaders like Nino Burjanadze and Mikheil Saakashvili. They led peaceful protests against unfair elections. These protests led to Shevardnadze stepping down. Saakashvili then became president, and Zhvania became prime minister. He served as prime minister until he died in 2005.

Early Life and Family

Zurab Zhvania was born in Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia. His parents, Besarion Zhvania and Rema Antonova, were both physicists. They worked at the Tbilisi Institute of Physics.

In 1985, he finished his studies at the Faculty of Biology at Tbilisi State University. He worked at the university until 1992. In 1993, he married Nino Kadagidze. She owned a bookstore in Tbilisi that sold English books. They had three children: a son named Besarion and two daughters, Elisabeth and Anna. Zhvania was good at languages. He spoke Georgian, English, German, and Russian.

Political Career

Zhvania started in national politics in 1988. From 1988 to 1990, he was a co-chairman of Georgia's Green Party. This party was one of many groups that worked for Georgia to become independent again. In 1991, his party joined those who opposed Georgia's first president after the Soviet Union, Zviad Gamsakhurdia.

After Gamsakhurdia was removed from power in 1992, Eduard Shevardnadze became the leader. Shevardnadze was a former Soviet foreign minister. In 1992, Zhvania was chosen as the chairman of Eastern European Greens.

Shevardnadze created a new political group called the Union of Citizens of Georgia. This group was for people who wanted reforms and a democratic government. Zhvania joined this group in 1995. He also became a member of the Georgian parliament that same year. He helped bring other people who wanted reforms, like Mikheil Saakashvili, into the party. In 1993, Zhvania became the general secretary of Shevardnadze's party. After his party won the election, he was elected as the chairman of the Georgian parliament on November 25, 1995.

However, Zhvania and Shevardnadze later had disagreements. Zhvania resigned as speaker on November 1, 2001. He and Saakashvili also left Shevardnadze's party. In 2002, Zhvania started a new party called the United Democrats. Zurab Zhvania is the only Prime Minister of Georgia who has died while still in office.

The Rose Revolution

Zhvania speaking at a rally during the Rose Revolution in November 2003.

In November 2003, parliamentary elections were held in Georgia. Many people, both from Georgia and other countries, said that these elections were unfair. Because of this, Zhvania and other opposition leaders called for large protests against Shevardnadze's government.

For two weeks, many people protested peacefully. These protests eventually led to Shevardnadze resigning on November 23. Nino Burjanadze, who took over from Zhvania as parliamentary speaker, became the temporary leader. Zhvania became a minister in the government that prepared for new presidential elections. These elections happened on January 4, 2004, and Mikheil Saakashvili won.

Becoming Prime Minister

In February 2004, President Saakashvili suggested that Zhvania become Prime Minister. The Parliament of Georgia then elected him to this important role. He led a new government with 15 members. The people in his cabinet were quite young, with an average age of 35.

Zhvania was seen as a calm and balanced leader. He worked to bring stability and reforms to Georgia. He was also very important in discussions about the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which wanted to separate from Georgia. Some of his decisions during his time as prime minister were debated, but he focused on leading the country.

Death

Zurab Zhvania died early in the morning of February 3, 2005. Officials stated that he died from carbon monoxide poisoning. This was said to be caused by a gas heater that did not have enough fresh air.

Images for kids

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  Zurab Zhvania's signature

See also

In Spanish: Zurab Shvania para niños