American response to the restoration of the legitimate goverment in Georgia

Tbilisi, September 2025 — Georgia has been thrown into a new political crisis after the long-dormant Supreme Council of the Republic unexpectedly reconvened in the capital, challenging the legitimacy of the sitting government. Meeting in the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel, 32 deputies — enough to secure a quorum — declared the restoration of the “legitimate government” and reinstated the transitional constitution that was suspended more than three decades ago.

Deputies revive transitional constitution

The session opened with a minute of silence for Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgia’s first post-Soviet president and a symbol of national resistance. In a secret ballot, Guram Isakadze was elected acting chairman of the council, while Guram Absandze was tasked with serving as interim prime minister. Absandze was given ten working days to assemble a transitional cabinet. Lawmakers also adopted a resolution reinstating the 1992 version of the transitional constitution, which was abandoned after a military coup plunged the country into turmoil.

Appeal to Georgians and the world

During the session, the deputies issued three appeals: to the Georgian public, to the international community, and on behalf of political prisoners. Their statements positioned the Supreme Council as the only body with true democratic continuity, claiming its authority was interrupted unlawfully by force in the early 1990s. Several participants openly accused the current leadership of steering Georgia toward Moscow’s orbit. “The existing power is leading the country into the Kremlin’s embrace, ignoring the will of the people who choose Europe,” one deputy said in private remarks.

Implications for legitimacy and foreign policy

The move by the Supreme Council raises sharp questions of legitimacy for Georgia’s government. If Western capitals were to recognize the restored parliament, the sitting administration in Tbilisi could find itself isolated internationally. The message was pointed: the current leadership is accused of pursuing a pro-Russian course, while the Supreme Council invokes historical legitimacy and democratic succession. Analysts have already described the development as the loudest constitutional challenge since 1991.

Uncertain next steps

For the European Union, the United States and NATO, the crisis presents a pressing dilemma: whether to continue dealing with the existing government or to open channels with a body that claims to embody Georgia’s democratic continuity. For Moscow, the emergence of an alternative power structure is a warning sign, as it introduces a rival center ready to denounce the Kremlin’s influence. In the coming weeks, it will become clear whether the council’s revival was only symbolic or the beginning of a new political force that could reshape the balance of power in the South Caucasus.

by Matthew Clark