100th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia
100th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia
On 21 February 1921, the Constituent Assembly of Georgia unanimously adopted the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia – a document of great historical, political and legal significance for our country.
The Constitutional Court of Georgia will host a conference dedicated to 100th Anniversary of the first Constitution of Georgia.
The following speakers will deliver the presentations at the event:
Malkhaz Matsaberidze, Professor, Doctor of Political Sciences; Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Presentation: “Drafting and Adoption of the 1921 Constitution of Georgia”;
Beka Kantaria, Professor, Caucasus International University
Presentation: “The First Constitution – European Accomplishment of Georgia”;
Dimitri Gegenava, Professor, Sulkhan-Saba University
Presentation: “Constitutional Rule-making and Political Culture in Democratic Republic of Georgia”.
The conference will be moderated by the President of the Constitutional Court of Georgia, Professor Dr. Merab Turava.
The event will be held online and broadcasted on February 22, at 18.00 via YouTube channel of the Constitutional Court of Georgia.
Script of the video in English
Presenter: This year Georgia celebrates the 100th Anniversary of its first Constitution. On 21 February 1921, the Constituent Assembly of Georgia unanimously adopted the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia – a document of great historical, political and legal significance for our country.
Merab Turava: The 1921 Constitution established Georgia as a parliamentary republic, which recognised human rights and the principle of the rule of law. The first Constitution of Georgia was a remarkably progressive document in Europe at that time.
Presenter: The 1921 Constitution of Georgia guaranteed the women’s suffrage, abolished the death penalty, strengthened the principle of state secularism, protected minority rights, as well as basic civil, political and social rights.
On 26 May 1918, the government of free Georgia declared the formation of the Democratic Republic of Georgia. Initiation of the drafting process of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia constituted a logical continuation of the Declaration of the Independence Act of Georgia, which was carried out for almost three years by the National Council and the Constituent Assembly of Georgia.
The review and adoption process of the Constitution was significantly accelerated by the intrusion of the Russian Army in Georgia. On 15 February 1921, the 11th Red Army of Soviet Russia invaded Georgia. Given the difficult circumstances at the time, the Constituent Assembly unanimously adopted the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia at the extraordinary Assembly Session on 21 February 1921.
Merab Turava: Due to the state of war, the First Constitution of Georgia could not be published in Tbilisi. The Constitution was published in Batumi instead, where the Government in exile resided temporarily. It is symbolic that today the Constitutional Court of Georgia is located in Batumi, where the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia was published for the first time in 1921.
Presenter: Despite the fact that, the first Constitution of Georgia failed to enter into actual legal force due to the occupation and further annexation of Georgia by the Soviet Army, the first constitution constituted a symbol of the statehood of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, that reflected the aspirations of the free Georgian society of that era.
Merab Turava: The modern Georgian State is the successor of the First Republic. This is our historical past that we should cherish and be proud of as a state with European tradition.
Presenter: In the words of Hans-Dietrich Genscher, the former Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany: “At that time it [the 1921 Georgian Constitution] already advocated values such as liberty, democracy and the rule of law, that modern Europe is based on”.
Merab Turava: The current Constitution of Georgia is based on the historical legacy of the 1921 Georgian Constitution. The supremacy of the Constitution as well as the protection of human rights is guaranteed by the Constitutional Court of Georgia,
