Rights
A parliamentary republic completed by the 2017-2018 amendments
The 1995 Constitution was comprehensively amended in 2017, with changes phasing in through 2024. Georgia is now a parliamentary republic in which the President is elected indirectly and executive power rests with a Prime Minister accountable to Parliament. The Constitutional Court sits in Batumi.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National. The Adjara Autonomous Republic has its own constitution and government. Abkhazia and South Ossetia are outside effective central government control.
Governing law
- Constitution of Georgia 1995, as substantially amended in 2017
- Organic Law on the Constitutional Court of Georgia1996
In practice
The 2017 reform moved Georgia from a mixed system to a parliamentary one: from 2024 the President is chosen by an electoral college rather than by direct vote, and the Prime Minister leads the executive. The Constitutional Court has strong powers, including individual constitutional complaints, and has struck down significant legislation. A distinctive feature is that the Constitution obliges state bodies to take all measures to integrate Georgia into the European Union and NATO. The status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia means the legal order described here does not operate throughout the internationally recognised territory.