100th Anniversary of Georgia’s Parliamentary System in the UK

On July 9, 2019 the UK All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Georgia and the Embassy of Georgia to the UK jointly hosted an event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Georgia’s parliamentary system.

The event was opened by HE Tamar Beruchashvili Ambassador of Georgia to the UK, and Mr Jonathan Djanogly MP, Chair of the APPG on Georgia.

A century ago the newly-emerged Democratic Republic of Georgia held the first universal, democratic and multi-party election of the Constituent Assembly. The first Georgian legislative body was elected by universal suffrage, based on gender equality and inspired by such values as liberty, democracy and rule of law.

The Constituent Assembly was a multi-ethnic institution, members of which represented almost all main ethnic minority groups. Even more significant achievement was the election of five women as members, at a time when in the majority of the European states women did not even have the right to vote.

The event in the UK Parliament featured an exhibition reflecting on this important anniversary. The guests had an opportunity to look through the historical photos of the members of the Constituent Assembly, core achievements by the Assembly, as well as interesting facts related to the first Georgian legislative body.

Besides the historic dimension of the event, the Ambassador of Georgia also talked about the importance of this anniversary in the contemporary context, as modern Georgia is inspired by and stands firmly on democratic values, ideas and approaches of the First Democratic Republic.

The event was attended by the members of the UK Parliament, diplomatic corps accredited in London, the group of Chevening scholars, representatives of Georgian diaspora organizations and educational institutions.

At the end of the event the guests were invited to the reception hosted by the Embassy.