President Salome Zourabichvili

President Salome Zourabichvili has served as president of Georgia since 2018, becoming the country’s first female head of state. Born in Paris to Georgian émigrés, she built a distinguished career in French diplomacy before returning to Georgia as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2004. Elected president as an independent, she has been a leading voice for Georgia’s European integration: under her leadership, Georgia was granted EU candidate status in 2023. In 2024, following contested parliamentary elections, Zourabichvili’s mandate was challenged by the ruling party. However, the European Parliament reaffirmed her legitimacy, recognizing her as Georgia’s rightful head of state and urging the EU to continue engaging with her. Zourabichvili is a symbol of democratic resilience and pro-European unity in Georgia.