Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia

The Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia (Georgian: საქართველოს რესპუბლიკის უზენაესი საბჭო, sakartvelos respublikis uzenaesi sabcho) was the highest unicameral legislative body in Georgia elected in the first democratic, multiparty elections in the Caucasus on October 28, 1990 while the country was still part of the Soviet Union. The Council presided over the declaration of Georgia’s independence from the Soviet Union in April 1991. The legislature split into rivaling factions and became defunct after a violent coup d’etat ousted President Zviad Gamsakhurdia in January 1992. A pro-Gamsakhurdia faction managed to convene for a few times in exile and again in Georgia during Gamsakhurdia’s failed attempt to regain power later in 1993. The Supreme Council was succeeded – after a brief parliamentary vacuum filled by the rule of the post-coup Military Council and then the State Council – by the Parliament of Georgia elected in October 1992.

The Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia was preceded by the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (July 1938–November 1990), which in its turn was a successor of the Central Executive Committee of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (February 1922–July 1938).

The Chairmen of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet were nominal heads of the republic and the Chairmen of the Supreme Soviet were the presiding officers of the legislature. Zviad Gamsakhurdia was both acting head of the republic and presiding officer of the legislature as the Chairman of the Supreme Council.

Chairmen of Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

Name	Period
Filipp Makharadze	July 10, 1938–December 10, 1941
Giorgi Sturua	January 1, 1942–March 26, 1948
Vasil Gogua	March 26, 1948–April 6, 1952
Zakaria Chkhubiashvili	April 6, 1952–April 15, 1953
Vladimer Tskhovrebashvili	April 15, 1953–October 29, 1953
Miron Chubinidze	October 29, 1953–April 17, 1959
Giorgi Dzotsenidze	April 18, 1959–January 26, 1976
Pavle Gilashvili	January 26, 1976–March 29, 1989
Otar Cherkezia	March 29, 1989–November 17, 1989
Givi Gumbaridze	November 17, 1989–November 14, 1990

Chairmen of the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

Name	Period
Ioseb Kochlamazashvili	July 7, 1938–March 24, 1947
Vasil Gogua	March 26, 1947–March 26, 1948
Archil Gigoshvili	March 26, 1948–April 18, 1951
Mikhail Lelashvili	April 18, 1951–April 6, 1952
Givi Javakhishvili	April 6, 1952–April 15, 1953
Archil Georgadze	April 15, 1953–1954
Viktor Kupradze	1954–April 26, 1963
Rapiel Dvali	April 26, 1963–July 12, 1971
Irakli Abashidze	July 12, 1971–November 14, 1990

Chairmen of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia

Name	Period
Zviad Gamsakhurdia	November 14, 1990–April 14, 1991
Akaki Asatiani	April 14, 1991–January 2, 1992

Sources

• World Statesmen.org