Zurab Japaridze

Zurab Japaridze
ზურაბ ჯაფარიძე
Japaridze in 2023
Leader of Girchi - More Freedom
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 December 2020
Preceded by	party established
Chairman of Girchi
In office 5 November 2015 – 23 June 2018
Preceded by	party established
Succeeded by	Iago Khvichia
Member of the Parliament of Georgia
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 December 2020
In office 21 October 2012 – 18 November 2016
Personal details
Born	(1976-01-01) 1 January 1976
Political party	Girchi - More Freedom (2020–present) New Political Center — Girchi (2015–2020) United National Movement (2012–2015)

Zurab Girchi Japaridze (Georgian: ზურაბ გირჩი ჯაფარიძე; born 1 January 1976) is a Georgian politician and co-founder of a Libertarian party called Girchi. On 26 December 2020 he founded a new political party, Girchi - More Freedom.

Early Life

Japaridze graduated from the Tbilisi State Medical University in 1999, and Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA) in 2005. Since 1998, he has worked for various Western-funded assistance programs for Georgia. He was a professor at the GIPA from 2005 to 2011 and at the Free University of Tbilisi since 2011. From 2010 to 2012, he was also a columnist for the Tabula magazine.

Political Career

Japaridze started his political career in 2012 when he joined the United National Movement party (UNM). In June 2013, he was one of the candidates for the 2013 UNM presidential nomination. In 2012–2016 Japaridze was the member of the Parliament of Georgia of the 8th convocation. He served as the UNM's executive secretary, but left the party in May 2015.

In 2016, Japaridze, with four other lawmakers who left the UNM, established a right-libertarian party called Girchi. It emerged as one of the strongest supporters of the legalization of cannabis in Georgia. In 2018, Japaridze run in the Georgian presidential election, receiving 2.26% of the total number of votes. In 2020, he was elected as a member of the parliament, although renounced his mandate after leaving the party. In December 2020, Japaridze founded new political party Girchi - More Freedom.

2018 Presidential Elections

2018 On 16 April, Zurab Japaridze, confirmed that he would be candidate of "Girchi" for the 2018 presidential elections. During the 2018 presidential election, Japaridze posted his own election banners on the porn site Pornhub. Users saw two banners with these captions on the site: "More sex, more freedom" and "I do not promise to increase the size." Girchi cites low budget spending as the reason for placing their own ads on the site.

Arrest

On 2 December 2024, Japaridze was arrested amid protests against the suspension of Georgia's accession process to the EU by the Georgian Dream government of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. He was released a few hours later because of his immunity as a member of parliament.

Political views

Japaridze adheres to the libertarian and strong pro-Western views. Japaridze has been a long time proponent of Georgia's membership in North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union. Japaridze's economic policies are focused on the deregulation of the market and the development of macroeconomic potential in the country. Since becoming the member of the Parliament, Japaridze has been actively advocating for low taxes, small government, government decentralization, and privatization of state-owned property. Japaridze also supports marijuana legalization in Georgia.

External links

• Zurab Japaridze on Facebook
• (in Georgian) Articles by Zurab Japaridze