Irakli Kobakhidze

Irakli Kobakhidze
ირაკლი კობახიძე
Kobakhidze in 2024
16th Prime Minister of Georgia
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 February 2024
PresidentSalome Zourabichvili
Deputy
Preceded byIrakli Garibashvili
Chairman of Georgian Dream
In office
11 January 2021 – 1 February 2024
Preceded byBidzina Ivanishvili
Succeeded byIrakli Garibashvili
Political Secretary of Georgian Dream
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 February 2024
Preceded byIrakli Garibashvili
Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia
In office
18 November 2016 – 21 June 2019
President
Prime Minister
Preceded byDavit Usupashvili
Succeeded by
Leader of the Parliamentary Majority
In office
11 December 2020 – 8 February 2024
Preceded byMamuka Mdinaradze
Succeeded byMamuka 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 byMamuka Mdinaradze
Personal details
Born (1978-09-25) 25 September 1978 (age 46)
Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Political partyGeorgian Dream
SpouseNatalia Motsonelidze
Children2
Alma mater
Signature

Irakli Kobakhidze (Georgian: ირაკლი კობახიძე; born 25 September 1978) is a Georgian politician who is serving as 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.[1] Prior to joining politics, he was a professor at the Tbilisi State University[2] 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.[3][4] The United States announced sanctions against Kobakhidze, members of his government, and the members of the Georgian Dream party for "undermining democracy in Georgia."[5] 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.[6][7][time needed][8]

  1. ^ "Georgian Dream – Irakli Kobakhidze". Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ Avdaliani, Emil (30 May 2024). "Georgia and the West on Collision Course". CEPA.
  4. ^ "Georgia's EU bid is being sabotaged by its own government, Brussels fears". Politico. 12 April 2024.
  5. ^ "BREAKING: US State Department Implements First Tranche of Sanctions against Georgian Individuals". Civil.ge. 6 June 2024.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference neweasterneurope.eu was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference oc-media.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference jamestown.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).