Parliament of Georgia

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The Original Copy of the Constitution Signed on 17 October 1995 Displayed Outside the Parliament's Plenary Hall

Plenary 26 Jun 2026
The Original Copy of the Constitution Signed on 17 October 1995 Displayed Outside the Parliament's Plenary Hall

The original copy of the Constitution of Georgia, signed on 17 October 1995 by the members of the Parliament of Georgia and the State Constitutional Commission, has been put on display outside the Parliament's Plenary Hall.

Exact replicas of the original version of the Constitution of Georgia, adopted on 24 August 1995, were distributed in the Zviad Gamsakhurdia Plenary Hall of the Parliament of Georgia.

In addition to Members of Parliament, exact replicas of the original Constitution were presented as commemorative gifts to His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia Shio III, who attended Parliament for the Prime Minister's annual address, as well as to representatives of the executive and judicial branches, the leadership of the Ajara and Abkhazia ARs, representatives of Tbilisi City Hall and the City Assembly, and other invited guests.

"Displayed outside the Parliament's Plenary Hall is the original Constitution of Georgia, adopted on 24 August 1995, bearing the signatures of all members of Parliament and the State Constitutional Commission. This original is preserved in the State Archives. We requested permission from the Archives and produced an exact replica of the original Constitution of Georgia, which has been distributed to you. This Constitution reminds us of many things. First and foremost, it reminds us of its substance. Today, it is particularly important to emphasize that this is the Constitution in which the special role of the Orthodox Church in the history of Georgia was formally recognized. Following the inclusion of this provision, the Concordat between the State and the Church was signed in 2002. In addition, the adoption of the Constitution and the events surrounding it are also worth recalling. The signing ceremony, originally scheduled for 25 August 1995, could not take place because of the terrorist attack against the Head of State. At that time as well, the signing of the Constitution was postponed due to external interference, internal destabilization, and the incitement of confrontation from outside the country. The signing ceremony was subsequently held in this Hall on 17 October 1995”, - stated the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili.