Tagged: Georgia

Georgia is a representative democracy with a presidential system of government. The president is the head of state and is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The president appoints the Prime Minister, who serves as the head of government and leads the Cabinet of Ministers. The Cabinet of Ministers consists of various ministers appointed by the president and approved by Parliament. Parliament is composed of two chambers: the 150-seat National Assembly and the 75-seat Senate. Members of both chambers are elected for four-year terms in free and fair elections held every four years. In addition to these legislative bodies, Georgia also has an independent judiciary that is responsible for upholding laws and resolving disputes among citizens. The highest court in Georgia is known as the Supreme Court, which hears cases from all levels of Georgian courts and can overturn lower court decisions if they are deemed unfair or unconstitutional. In addition to this judicial system, Georgia also has an administrative court system that handles matters related to public administration such as taxes and social security benefits. Other courts include constitutional courts, criminal courts, appellate courts, commercial courts, military courts, and other specialized tribunals. Georgia has a long history of maintaining strong foreign relations, with many countries recognizing its independence in 1991. The country is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Georgia is also a member of NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and has close ties with both the United States and European Union. Georgia maintains strong bilateral relations with both its regional neighbors as well as other countries around the world. The country has particularly close ties to neighboring Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as Russia despite their recent conflicts. Georgia also enjoys good relations with other former Soviet republics such as Ukraine and Armenia, as well as with Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The United States has been an important ally for Georgia since its independence, providing economic aid to help rebuild the country’s infrastructure following conflicts in 2008. Additionally, U.S.-Georgia relations have been strengthened through military cooperation which includes training Georgian troops to be part of NATO forces in Afghanistan. The European Union is another key partner for Georgia having signed an Association Agreement in 2014 which grants Georgian citizens visa-free travel to EU states. The EU has provided substantial financial assistance to Georgia to support reform efforts in areas such as human rights protection and judicial reform. Additionally, EU-Georgia relations have been further strengthened through investments into energy projects such as pipelines that link Georgian oil fields with European markets.