Politics

The politics of Georgia is structured as a presidential representative democratic republic (semi-presidential system), with a multi-party system, and the President as head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. Since the Rose Revolution, the party system is dominated by the National Movement - Democrats.

Georgia has been a democratic republic since the first multiparty, democratic parliamentary elections of October 28, 1990. The Georgian state is highly centralised, except for the autonomous regions of Abkhazia, Ajaria and South Ossetia, which are to be given autonomous status once Georgia's territorial integrity is restored. Those regions had an autonomous status within Georgian SSR during Soviet rule. Abkhazia and South Ossetia seceded unilaterally from Georgia.

Executive Branch

The head of the Cabinet of Georgia is the President, who is elected for a term of five years. Their constitutional successor is the Chairman of the Parliament. The president appoints a Prime Minister.

Legislative Branch

The Parliament of Georgia (Sak'art'velos Parlamenti), also known as the Umaghlesi Sabcho (Supreme Council) has 235 members, elected for a four year term - 150 seats by proportional representation, 75 in single-seat constituencies and 10 given to the representatives of the displaced persons from the separatist region of Abkhazia.

However this situation will change when the next elections are held (likely to be 2008). According to the constitutional amendments passed in 2003 the parliament will consist of only 150 members elected with the proportional representation system and will be fully refurbished.

Judicial Branch

Georgia has a Supreme Court, with judges elected by the Parliament on the president's recommendation, and a Constitutional Court.

Foreign Relations

Georgia maintains good relations with its direct neighbours Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey and participates actively in regional cooperation fora such as the Black Sea Economic Council and the GUAM Grouping. Georgia maintains very close and warm relations with Ukraine.

Relations with NATO

Georgia is working in becoming a full member of NATO. In August of 2004, the Individual Partnership Action Plan of Georgia was submitted officially to NATO. On October 29, 2004, the North Atlantic Council of NATO approved the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) of Georgia under the silence procedure and Georgia moved on to the so-called second stage of Euro-Atlantic integration. In 2005, by the decision of the President of Georgia, a state commission was set up to implement the Individual Partnership Action Plan, which presents an interdepartmental group headed by the Prime Minister. The Commission was tasked with coordinating and controlling the implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan.

On February 14, 2005, the agreement on the appointment of Partnership for Peace (PfP) liaison officer between Georgia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization came into force, whereby a liaison officer for the South Caucasus was assigned to Georgia. On March 2, 2005, the agreement was signed on the provision of the host nation support to and transit of NATO forces and NATO personnel. On March 6-9, 2006, the IPAP implementation interim assessment team arrived in Tbilisi. On April 13, 2006, the discussion of the assessment report on implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan was held at NATO Headquarters. In 2006, the Georgian parliament voted unanimously for the bill which calls for integration of Georgian into NATO. Currently, it is expected that Georgia will join NATO in 2009.

Relations with European Union

President Saakashvili views membership of the EU and NATO as a long term priority. As he does not want Georgia to become an arena of Russia-US confrontation he seeks to maintain close relations with the United States, at the same time underlining his ambitions to advance co-operation with Russia.

On October 2, 2006, signed a joint statement on the agreed text of the Georgia-European Union Action Plan within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The Action Plan was formally approved at the EU-Georgia Cooperation Council session on November 14, 2006 in Brussels.

Relations with the United States

The growing US influence in Georgia, notably through the Train and Equip military assistance programme and the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, have made Tbilisi's relations with Moscow frequently strained. The US has announced that the programme will come to an end in the early summer of 2004 and will be replaced by more regular military support activities. Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell has announced that it is not the intention of the US to establish military bases in Georgia.