Irakli Kobakhidze

Irakli Kobakhidze
Irakli Kobakhidze
ირაკლი კობახიძე
	Kobakhidze in 2018
16th Prime Minister of Georgia
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 8 February 2024
President	Salome Zourabichvili
Deputy	Levan Davitashvili; Thea Tsulukiani; Irakli Chikovani;
Preceded by	Irakli Garibashvili
Chairman of Georgian Dream
	In office; 11 January 2021 – 1 February 2024
Preceded by	Bidzina Ivanishvili
Succeeded by	Irakli Garibashvili
Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia
	In office; 18 November 2016 – 21 June 2019
President	Giorgi Margvelashvili; Salome Zourabichvili;
Prime Minister	Giorgi Kvirikashvili; Mamuka Bakhtadze;
Preceded by	Davit Usupashvili
Succeeded by	Archil Talakvadze; Tamar Chugoshvili (acting);
Leader of the Parliamentary Majority
	In office; 11 December 2020 – 8 February 2024
Preceded by	Mamuka Mdinaradze
Succeeded by	Mamuka Mdinaradze
Member of the Parliament of Georgia
	In office; 18 November 2016 – 8 February 2024
Political Secretary of Georgian Dream
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 1 February 2024
Preceded by	Irakli Garibashvili
Executive Secretary of Georgian Dream
	In office; January 2015 – 11 January 2021
Succeeded by	Mamuka Mdinaradze
Personal details
Born	25 September 1978 (age 45); Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Political party	Georgian Dream
Spouse	Natalia Motsonelidze
Children	2
Alma mater	Tbilisi State University; University of Düsseldorf;
Signature

Irakli Kobakhidze (Georgian: ირაკლი კობახიძე; born 25 September 1978) is a Georgian constitutional scholar and 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 and continues to teach there to this day.^[2]

Kobakhidze's government, has accelerated the deterioration of relations with the West, with his government being accused of 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 on numerous occasions, accusing the West of pushing Georgia into "opening a second front" and joining the Russo-Ukrainian War.^[6]^[7]^{[time needed]}^[8]

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