A Franco-Georgian politician and former diplomat, she was elected as Georgia’s last popularly elected President in 2018, and will serve until 2024, when constitutional changes will see that future heads of state are elected by a parliamentary college of electors.
She was born in France, as the daughter of prominent Georgian political refugees, and joined the French Quai D’Orsay in the 1970s. From 2003 – 2004 she was Ambassador of France to Georgia. Mutual agreement between the Presidents of France and Georgia, let her accept Georgian nationality in 2004, and she became the Foreign Minister of Georgia. During this time she negotiated a landmark treaty leading to the withdrawal of Russian forces from undisputed parts of the Georgian mainland. In 2006, she founded the Way of Georgia Political Party, which she led until 2010, and she was elected to Parliament as an independent in 2016, vacating it when she was sworn in as President. She ran as an independent for President and was endorsed by the ruling Georgian Dream Party. After the 2020-2021 Georgian political crisis, she was increasingly alienated from the Government.
A brilliant woman according to her professors, with an amazing grasp of the essentials, she has been a strong advocated for women's rights and equality through social media and from political tribunes. As the first popularly elected woman president of Georgia she has advocated for the empowerment of women and young girls. Amid the controversy around the 2019 Tbilisi Pride Parade, Zourabichvili said: “I am everyone’s president, regardless of sexual orientation or religious affiliation. No human should be discriminated against. I must also emphasize that our country is dealing with enough controversies and doesn’t need any further provocation from any side of the LGBTQ debate." This comment was met with criticism by LGBTQ organizations across the country, as well as some members of the civil society. Tbilisi Pride co-founder Tamaz Sozashvili wrote: "How can she consider peaceful citizens and aggressive fundamentalists as equal sides?"
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