Salome Zourabichvili

Zourabichvili was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs under President Mikheil Saakashvili. She was a French-born diplomat who had served as French ambassador to Georgia, and her appointment was seen as a bridge between Georgia and Europe.

Zourabichvili was granted Georgian citizenship by President Saakashvili, allowing her to serve as Foreign Minister. She had previously been a French citizen, and this dual citizenship was a prerequisite for her ministerial role.

Zourabichvili was dismissed as Foreign Minister after a public dispute with the parliamentary speaker and other officials. She accused the government of authoritarian tendencies, leading to her dismissal and subsequent move into opposition politics.

After her dismissal, Zourabichvili founded the political party 'The Way of Georgia' (Saqartvelos Gza). The party positioned itself as a centrist, pro-Western alternative to the ruling United National Movement.

Zourabichvili won the presidential election in a runoff with 59.5% of the vote, becoming the first female president of Georgia. She ran as an independent candidate, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party.