Legal System of Georgia

Georgia is located in Central Asia. It is geographically situated in southwestern asia, bordering the black sea, between turkey and russia, with a sliver of land north of the caucasus extending into europe; note - georgia views itself as part of europe; geopolitically, it can be classified as falling within europe, the middle east, or both. The country achieved independence on 9 april 1991 (from the soviet union); notable earlier date: a.d. 1008 (georgia unified under king bagrat iii). The capital is Tbilisi.

Government Overview

Government Type: semi-presidential republic Chief of State: President Mikheil KAVELASHVILI (since 29 December 2024) Head of Government: Prime Minister Irakli KOBAKHIDZE (since 8 February 2024) Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers Administrative Divisions: 9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 1 city (kalaki), and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika)

regions: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli; note - the breakaway region of South Ossetia consists of the northern part of Shida Kartli, eastern slivers of the Imereti region and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, and part of western Mtskheta-Mtianeti

city: Tbilisi

autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap’khazet’is Avtonomiuri Respublika (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika (Bat’umi) National Holiday: Independence Day, 26 May (1918) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Georgia is described as civil law system International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: previous 1921, 1978 (based on 1977 Soviet Union constitution); latest approved 24 August 1995, effective 17 October 1995 Amendment Process: proposed as a draft law supported by more than one half of the Parliament membership or by petition of at least 200,000 voters; passage requires support by at least three fourths of the Parliament membership in two successive sessions three months apart and the signature and promulgation by the president of Georgia

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 28 judges organized into several specialized judicial chambers; number of judges determined by the president of Georgia); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges)  Judge Selection: Supreme Court judges nominated by the High Council of Justice (a 14-member body consisting of the Supreme Court chairperson, common court judges, and appointees of the president of Georgia) and appointed by Parliament; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Court judges appointed 3 each by the president, by Parliament, and by the Supreme Court judges; judges appointed for 10-year terms Subordinate Courts: Courts of Appeal; regional (town) and district courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Georgia Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

The region of present-day Georgia once contained the ancient kingdoms of Colchis (known as Egrisi locally) and Kartli-Iberia. The area came under Roman influence in the first centuries A.D., and Christianity became the state religion in the 330s. Persian, Arab, and Turk domination was followed by a Georgian golden age (11th-13th centuries) that was cut short when the Mongols invaded in 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman and Persian empires competed for influence in the region.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Georgia based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.