55 Facts About Roman Gotsiridze

Roman Gotsiridze is a Georgian economist and politician.

One of Georgia's longest-standing politicians, Roman Gotsiridze first joined the country's Supreme Council during the first post-Soviet elections of 1990, being elected as Representative of the Didube District as a member of Zviad Gamsakhurdia's Round Table-Free Georgia coalition, and was a signatory of the April 1991 declaration of independence.

Roman Gotsiridze's term was marked by an economic collapse caused by the fall of the USSR and the Georgian Civil War and Gotsiridze secured Georgia's first international loans and rolled out the kuponi, the first national currency.

In 2016, Roman Gotsiridze returned to the political scene by being elected to the Parliament as a member of the United National Movement.

Roman Gotsiridze was reelected to Parliament in 2020 but refused to accept his seat and boycotted the legislature until May 2021.

Roman Gotsiridze was born on December 16,1955, in Gali, a town in the then-Abkhaz ASSR.

Roman Gotsiridze was enrolled in 1974 for his compulsory military service in the Soviet Army and became an Industry Planning student at Tbilisi State University, from which he graduated in 1982.

Roman Gotsiridze was notably in charge of overseeing the transfer of Soviet-era state-owned economic facilities to the Georgian government.

Roman Gotsiridze was a strong proponent of the price liberalization and privatizations and was regularly opposed by Avtandil Margiani, an influential fellow deputy prime minister in charge of supervising agricultural policy.

Roman Gotsiridze was involved in negotiations with Russia over a settlement of the war in Abkhazia.

In 1998, Roman Gotsiridze was appointed Head of the Budget Office in Parliament by Speaker Zurab Zhvania.

Roman Gotsiridze regularly criticized what he thought to be government waste, including the large budgets given to regulatory agencies.

Roman Gotsiridze was opposed to the idea of creating a free trade zone in Adjara and regularly raised concerns about the Adjarian Autonomous Republic's lack of financial transfers to the central government.

Roman Gotsiridze was critical of a 2002 bill that would have allowed the President to reschedule the debts of state-owned enterprises and called for drastic expenditure cuts to avoid IMF sanctions.

Roman Gotsiridze was against a proposal by the government to audit civil society organizations and warned that American financial aid would be tied with democratic reforms.

Roman Gotsiridze joined the National Movement upon the creation of the party by former Justice Minister Mikheil Saakashvili in 2001.

Ahead of the 2003 parliamentary election, Roman Gotsiridze joined the Republican Party, a liberal political organization aligned with the National Movement, and was placed in 6th position on the opposition coalition's electoral list.

In June 2004, when the Republican Party left the ruling coalition, Roman Gotsiridze left the party and remained with the National Movement.

Roman Gotsiridze backed the government's proposal to drastically reduce taxes.

Roman Gotsiridze was the sponsor of a 2005 financial amnesty bill that pardoned individuals accused of tax evasion during the Shevardnadze government.

Roman Gotsiridze called on the authorities to adopt a softer economic stance towards the separatist South Ossetia, opposing the permanent closure of the Ergneti Market in the conflict zone.

On January 18,2005, Roman Gotsiridze was appointed by President Saakashvili as a member of his new nine-person Economic Council.

Roman Gotsiridze was appointed by President Saakashvili on March 18,2005, as President of the National Bank of Georgia for a seven-year term, replacing the Shevardnadze-era Irakli Managadze.

Roman Gotsiridze's term was marked with the arrival on the Georgian market of several foreign banks, including Ukraine's PrivatBank, Azerbaijan's PASHABank, Switzerland's HSBC, and the Allied Irish Bank.

Roman Gotsiridze was more cautious than Bendukidze in supporting tax cuts, being advised by the IMF of promoting balanced budgets over tax cuts.

Roman Gotsiridze actively worked to counteract Russia's growing financial influence over the separatist republic of Abkhazia, where close to 50 banks were allegedly involved in financial activities despite an international sanctions regime, along with Kyrgyz banks.

Roman Gotsiridze proposed a settlement where Russian banks would operate in Abkhazia through the NBG's regulatory control and proposed the introduction of international banks into Abkhazia through the NBG's mediation, though these measures were rejected.

In 2007, criticism of Roman Gotsiridze's presidency grew within the ranks of the ruling coalition.

Roman Gotsiridze claimed that the parliamentary backlash against him had political connotations, with Speaker Nino Burjanadze eyeing the NBG presidency for her ally Irakli Kovzanadze.

Roman Gotsiridze served in that position until the end of President Saakashvili's term in 2013 and his mandate coincided with the economic fallout of the 2008 Russo-Georgia War and the global recession.

Roman Gotsiridze remained an independent voice in government, criticizing corruption in the free distribution of public lands to private owners and siding against the move of Parliament from Tbilisi to Kutaisi.

Roman Gotsiridze originally joined the "UNM for the Progress of Georgia" parliamentary faction led by MP Elene Khoshtaria.

Roman Gotsiridze was elected to the new Political Council of the party chosen following the split.

Roman Gotsiridze voted in favor of only one nominee of the ruling Georgian Dream party, banker Irakli Mekvabishvili as head of the state audit agency.

Roman Gotsiridze has been critical of alleged ties of the Georgian government with Russia, filing a lawsuit against a classified 2017 deal between Tbilisi and Gazprom Export.

Roman Gotsiridze refused to participate in the 2017 Constitutional Commission that revised the country's constitution and created a parliamentary republic and his faction later boycotted the vote adopting the new document, arguing that the new Constitution would centralize power in the hands of Georgian Dream.

Roman Gotsiridze filed a lawsuit at the Constitutional Court over the MP mandate termination of Nika Melia, who was accused by the authorities of attempting to overthrow the government.

The failure to find a compromise aggravated the political crisis, while Roman Gotsiridze backed calls for a blockade of Parliament through protests.

Roman Gotsiridze remained strongly critical of the authorities and accused President Zourabichvili of reneging on the agreement after her refusal to pardon UNM activist Giorgi Rurua.

Roman Gotsiridze entered Parliament in May 2021 after the release from prison of UNM Chairman Nika Melia following a short-lived EU-facilitated agreement between Georgian Dream and the opposition.

Roman Gotsiridze has been a supporter of Mikheil Saakashvili's controversial return to Georgia in October 2021.

Roman Gotsiridze has visited the former president in prison since his detention, in particular to take part in writing an economic program for UNM.

Roman Gotsiridze has criticized President Zourabichvili for her refusal to pardon Nika Gvaramia.

On February 17,2023, Roman Gotsiridze announced via a Facebook post his departure from the United National Movement.

Roman Gotsiridze remains an independent MP, caucusing with the parliamentary opposition.

Roman Gotsiridze is a supporter of free markets and his economic views are identified as libertarian.

Roman Gotsiridze opposes excise taxes on goods like cigarettes, calling them "taxes on the poor".

Roman Gotsiridze is opposed to increased economic regulations, which he has called "the main economic problem of the country".

Roman Gotsiridze has been opposed to increasing welfare programs and subsidies to the wine industry, while supporting decreasing funding to the Georgian Public Broadcaster.

Roman Gotsiridze has repeatedly raised concern over increased levels of public debt.

Roman Gotsiridze is a supporter of free trade and has voted against protectionist programs promoted by the Georgian government, including a moratorium on the sale of agricultural lands to foreigners and a state-funded Produce in Georgia campaign that includes grants for Georgian manufacturers.

Roman Gotsiridze has opposed the abolition of electoral thresholds.

Roman Gotsiridze has come out against gender-based quotas in Parliament, but voted nonetheless for a 2018 bill establishing them.

Roman Gotsiridze has publicly opposed the idea supported by the Georgian Orthodox Church of restoring the monarchy in Georgia.

Roman Gotsiridze criticized the Church for its refusal to cooperate with regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic.