Irakli Chikovani

Irakli Chikovani
ირაკლი ჩიქოვანი
Official portrait, 2020
Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia
Assumed office
9 February 2024[1]
Serving with Vakhtang Gomelauri
Prime MinisterIrakli Kobakhidze
Preceded byLevan Davitashvili
Minister of Defence
Assumed office
8 February 2024
Prime MinisterIrakli Kobakhidze
Preceded byJuansher Burchuladze
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia
In office
16 November 2023 – 8 February 2024
SpeakerShalva Papuashvili
Member of the Parliament of Georgia
In office
11 December 2020 – 8 February 2024
In office
21 October 2012 – 18 November 2016
Personal details
Born (1980-08-28) 28 August 1980 (age 44)
Zugdidi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union (now Georgia)
CitizenshipGeorgia
Political partyGeorgian Dream
SpouseDiana Zhgenti
Children3
Alma materTbilisi State University

Irakli Chikovani (born 28 August 1980) is a Georgian politician who has served as the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence of Georgia since February 8, 2024. A member of the Georgian Dream party, he was previously a Member of Parliament from 2020 to 2024 and 2012 to 2016.[2]

Biography

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Chikovani joined politics in 2012, as a member of former Deputy Prime Minister Irakli Alasania's Free Democrats party, which was initially a part of the Georgian Dream coalition. After the coalition was disbanded,[3] Chikovani participated in the Free Democrats 2016 election campaign, in which the party failed to obtain any seats.[4] In 2020, Chikovani rejoined Georgian Dream and ran for MP in the Zugdidi constituency in that year's election, he won the seat with 93,88% of the vote.[5] On February 8, 2024, Chikovani joined Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's government as the Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.[6]

References

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  1. ^ საქართველოს პრემიერ-მინისტრის ბრძანება №21 ირაკლი ჩიქოვანის თავდაცვის მინისტრად დანიშვნის შესახებ, https://www.gov.ge/
  2. ^ "Irakli Chikovani - Parliament of Georgia". parliament.ge. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  3. ^ "Free Democrats: New opposition party in Georgia". Agenda.ge. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  4. ^ "Georgia's Free Democrats announces party list ahead of October elections". commonspace.eu. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  5. ^ "ალასანია, გახარია, კობახიძე - ირაკლი ჩიქოვანის გზა თავდაცვის მინისტრობამდე". რადიო თავისუფლება (in Georgian). 2024-02-02. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  6. ^ "Georgian Parliament Approves New Premier Ahead of Elections". Bloomberg.com. 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-14.