Back إيراكلي كوباخيدزه Arabic ايراكلى كوباخيدزه ARZ İrakli Kobaxidze Azerbaijani Иракли Кобахидзе Bulgarian Irakli Kobachidze Czech Irakli Kobakhidze Danish Irakli Kobachidse German Ηρακλί Κομπαχίτζε Greek Irakli Kobajidze Spanish Irakli Kobahhidze Estonian
Irakli Kobakhidze | |
|---|---|
ირაკლი კობახიძე | |
.jpg) Kobakhidze in 2024 | |
| 16th Prime Minister of Georgia (Disputed) | |
| In office 8 February 2024 – Disputed[1] | |
| 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 25 September 1978) is a Georgian politician who holds the position of the 16th prime minister of Georgia since February 2024. He has previously served as a member of the Georgian Parliament from 2016 to 2024, chairman of the Parliament of Georgia from 2016 to 2019, as vice-president of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 2020 to 2022 and held the post of chairman of Georgian Dream party from 2021 to 2024.[2] Prior to joining politics, he was a professor at the Tbilisi State University[3] and also worked for Western-funded non-governmental organizations.
Kobakhidze is one of the main propagators of the Global War Party conspiracy theory. His government accelerated the deterioration of relations with the West and has been accused of internationally sabotaging Georgia’s EU membership bid.[4][5] The United States announced sanctions against Kobakhidze, members of his government, and the members of the Georgian Dream party for "undermining democracy in Georgia."[6] Under Kobakhidze's tenure, Georgia has undergone democratic backsliding, violence and torture of protesters opposing ruling party policies, and a shift towards authoritarianism. His rhetoric has been widely described as anti-Western, with him accusing the West of pushing Georgia into "opening a second front" and joining the Russo-Ukrainian War on numerous occasions.[7][8][9]
Kobakhidze is a largely nominal figurehead of the Georgian government and is ultimately accountable to Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire oligarch who is widely recognized as the de facto ruler of Georgia.[14][15]
- ^ Due to the disputed 2024 Georgian parliamentary election, Kobakhidze is no longer recognized as a legitimate Prime Minister of Georgia by all elected opposition parties, outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili, and Georgian constitutional experts.
- ^ "Georgian Dream – Irakli Kobakhidze". Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Georgian Dream stalls parliament's investigation of US-sanctioned judges". OC Media. 20 April 2023. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ Avdaliani, Emil (30 May 2024). "Georgia and the West on Collision Course". CEPA.
- ^ "Georgia's EU bid is being sabotaged by its own government, Brussels fears". Politico. 12 April 2024.
- ^ "BREAKING: US State Department Implements First Tranche of Sanctions against Georgian Individuals". Civil.ge. 6 June 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
neweasterneurope.euwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Kobakhidze reiterates claim that resetting relations with US requires end of war in Ukraine, OC Media: 29 December 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
jamestown.orgwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili - the real ruler of Georgia and the architect of Georgia's pro-Russian shift". Transparency International. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "The oligarch behind Georgia's pivot to Russia". DW. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ Sauer, Pjotr; Walker, Shaun (16 May 2024). "Bidzina Ivanishvili: Georgia's billionaire 'puppet master' betting the house on Moscow". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Georgia's Lazarus Bidzina Ivanishvili's latest political comeback and the law of diminishing returns". Meduza. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ [10][11][12][13]
- ^ Stephen F. Jones (3 December 2024). "Are we witnessing revolution in Georgia? Pro-EU protests sweep the nation". openDemocracy. Wikidata Q131620435. Archived from the original on 25 December 2024.