election last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held 4 January 2004 to
replace Eduard SHEVARDNADZE)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to as Parliament) or
Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party (from earlier 1999
elections) - CUG 41.7%, AGUR 25.2%, IWSG 7.1%, all other parties
received less than 7% each; seats by party - CUG 130, AGUR 64, IWSG
15, Labor 2, Abkhaz (government-in-exile) deputies 12, independents
12
elections: last held 2 November 2003 but results were invalidated
(next to be held spring 2004)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme Council on the
president's recommendation); Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
Citizen's Union of Georgia or CUG [Avtandil JORBENADZE]; Georgian
People's Front [Nodar NATADZE]; Georgian United Communist Party or
UCPG [Panteleimon GIORGADZE]; Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE];
Industry Will Save Georgia or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; Labor Party
[Shalva NATELASHVILI]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Irina
SARISHVILI-CHANTURIA]; New National Movement [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI];
New Right [Levaii GACHECHILADZE]; Republican Party [David
BERDZENISHVILI]; "Revival" Union Party or AGUR [Alsan ABASHIDZE];
Socialist Party or SPG [Irakli MINDELI]; Traditionalists [Akaki
ASATIANI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Georgian independent deputies from Abkhaz government in exile;
separatists in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia;
supporters of the late ousted President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA
International organization participation:
BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Levan MIKELADZE
chancery: Suite 300, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20009
FAX: [1] (202) 393–6060
telephone: [1] (202) 387–2390
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard M. MILES
embassy: #25 Atoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026
mailing address: 7060 Tbilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521–7060
telephone: [995] (32) 989–967/68
FAX: [995] (32) 933–759
Flag description:
maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner;
rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below
Economy Georgia
Economy - overview:
Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of
agricultural products such as citrus fruits, tea, hazelnuts, and
grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small
industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages,
metals, machinery, and chemicals. The country imports the bulk of
its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. Its only
sizable internal energy resource is hydropower. Despite the severe
damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with
the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic
gains since 1995, achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing
inflation. However, the Georgian Government suffers from limited
resources due to a chronic failure to collect tax revenues. Georgia
also suffers from energy shortages; it privatized the T'bilisi
distribution network in 1998, but collection rates are low, making
the venture unprofitable. The country is pinning its hopes for
long-term growth on its role as a transit state for pipelines and
trade. The start of construction on the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline and the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline will bring
much-needed investment and job opportunities.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $16.05 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.4% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20% industry: 25% services: 55% (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line: 54% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 27.9% (1996)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.1 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.2% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
2.1 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
industry 20%, agriculture 40%, services 40% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate:
17% (2001 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $499 million
expenditures: $554 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)
Industries:
steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining
(manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine
Industrial production growth rate:
3% (2000)
Electricity - production:
7.27 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 19.7% hydro: 80.3% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
7.611 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
850 million kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
2,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)