Independence: 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 May (1991)
Constitution: adopted 21 February 1921; currently amending constitution for Parliamentary and popular review by late 1995
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Chairman of Parliament Eduard Amvrosiyevich
SHEVARDNADZE (Chairman of the Government Council since 10 March 1992;
elected Chairman of Parliament in 11 October 1992; note - the
Government Council has since been disbanded); election last held 11
October 1992 (next to be held October 1995); results - Eduard
SHEVARDNADZE 95%
head of government: Prime Minister Otar PATSATSIA (since September
1993); Deputy Prime Ministers Avtandil MARGIANI, Zurab KERVALISHVILI
(since 25 November 1992), Tamaz NADAREISHVILI (since September 1993),
Temur BASILIA (since 17 March 1994), Bakur GULA (since NA)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral Georgian Parliament (Supreme Soviet): elections last held 11 October 1992 (next to be held October 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (225 total) number of seats by party NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Citizens Union (CU), Eduard
SHEVARDNADZE, Zurab SHVANIA, general secretary; National Democratic
Party (NDP), Georgi (Gia) CHANTURIA, Ivane GIORGADZE; United
Republican Party, umbrella organization for parties including the GPF
and the Charter 1991 Party, cochairmen Bakhtand DZABIRADZE, Notar
NATADZE, and Theodor PAATASHVILI; Georgian Popular Front (GPF), Nodar
NATADZE, chairman; Charter 1991 Party, Thedor PAATASHVILI; Georgian
Social Democratic Party (GSDP), Guram MUCHAIDZE, secretary general;
National Reconstruction and Rebirth of Georgia Union, Valerian
ADVADZE; Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Irakli SHENGELAYA;
Democratic Georgia Union (DGU), El'dar SHENGELAYA; National
Independence Party (NIP), Irakliy TSERETELI, chairman; Georgian
Monarchists' Party (GMP), Temur ZHORZHOLIANI; Green Party, Zurab
ZHVANIA; Republican Party (RP), Ivliane KHAINDRAVA; Workers' Union of
Georgia (WUG), Vakhtang GABUNIA; Agrarian Party of Georgia (APG), Roin
LIPARTELIANI; Choice Society (Archevani), Jaba IOSELIANI, chairman;
Georgian Workers Communist Party, Panteleimon GIORGADZE, chairman;
National Liberation Front, Tengiz SIGULA, chairman
Other political or pressure groups: supporters of ousted President
Zviad GAMSAKHURDIA (deceased 1 January 1994) boycotted the October
elections and remain a source of opposition