27 Facts About Giorgi Margvelashvili

Giorgi Margvelashvili is a Georgian academic and politician who was the fourth president of Georgia, in office from 17 November 2013 to 16 December 2018.

Giorgi Margvelashvili was the first president in Georgia's history not to seek reelection for a second term.

Giorgi Margvelashvili graduated from the Tbilisi State University in 1992 with a degree in philosophy.

Giorgi Margvelashvili continued his post-graduate education at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary and the Institute of Philosophy, Georgian Academy of Sciences.

Giorgi Margvelashvili twice served as a rector of the institute from 2000 to 2006 and, again, from 2010 to 2012.

Giorgi Margvelashvili was not a household name in Georgia until 2012.

In 2008, Giorgi Margvelashvili was again associated with Nino Burjanadze, the former parliamentary chairwoman, this time as a member of the board of advisers of Burjanadze's think-tank Foundation for Democracy and Development.

Giorgi Margvelashvili publicly supported the Georgian Dream coalition set up by the billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, but he was not directly involved in the coalition's election campaign.

In May 2013, Giorgi Margvelashvili was again in media headlines after he slammed proposed amendments to the labor code, calling them a "nightmare" for businesses.

Giorgi Margvelashvili campaigned aggressively, with Ivanishvili frequently appearing by his side and expressing support in his public appearances.

Giorgi Margvelashvili was sworn in as the fourth President of Georgia at a ceremony in the courtyard of the Parliament's old building in Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi, on 17 November 2013.

Giorgi Margvelashvili's inauguration was not attended by his predecessor Mikheil Saakashvili, who cited disrespect by the new government towards its predecessors and opponents.

Giorgi Margvelashvili initially refused to move to the luxurious presidential palace built under Saakashvili in Tbilisi, opting for more modest quarters in the building of the State Chancellery until a 19th-century building once occupied by the US embassy in Georgia was refurbished for him.

Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who became prime minister in December 2015 following Garibashvili's sudden resignation, sought to establish a congenial relationship with the presidency, but Margvelashvili remained a divisive figure within the ruling party.

Giorgi Margvelashvili was especially critical of the ruling Georgian Dream's position in the ongoing constitutional reform process, which he denounced as a tool to weaken the presidency.

Giorgi Margvelashvili accused the GD of refusing to seek a consensus with other political groups over the reforms.

Giorgi Margvelashvili stated that the GD's winning the constitutional majority in the 2016 parliamentary election implied "a threat of concentration of power", but at the same time "opened up opportunities for bold reforms and initiatives".

In May 2018, Giorgi Margvelashvili walked out on political debates following his annual state of the nation address, after the Parliament's chairman Irakli Kobakhidze rejected the President's request to allow him to respond to the questions raised by the lawmakers.

Giorgi Margvelashvili clashed again with Kobakhidze and the ruling party, in July 2018, over the local government formation process in autonomous Adjara.

Giorgi Margvelashvili's term ended in December 2018 as he did not seek re-election in that year's presidential vote.

In January 2019, Giorgi Margvelashvili returned to the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs to deliver a course of lectures on politics.

In February 2020, the former Mayor of Tbilisi and European Georgia politician, Giorgi Margvelashvili Ugulava, was contentiously sentenced for three years imprisonment for embezzlement from the Tbilisi Development Fund.

The sentence was decried by Giorgi Margvelashvili, who described Ugulava as "a political prisoner" and the situation as a "violation of democratic principles in Georgia".

When former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was imprisoned in October 2021 on charges of abuse of power and violence, Giorgi Margvelashvili has led an effort to free his predecessor from prison.

Giorgi Margvelashvili criticized prison conditions, saying that Saakashvili was being "sentenced to death".

In September 2024, prior to the 2024 Georgian parliamentary election, Giorgi Margvelashvili joined Strong Georgia coalition.

Beyond his native Georgian, Giorgi Margvelashvili is fluent in English and Russian.