TBILISI, July 29 – Georgia’s Culture Minister Tinatin Rukhadze has resigned after less than two years in office, citing health problems and the need for special medical treatment.
Rukhadze announced her decision on Facebook on Tuesday, after consulting Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. She said her condition would prevent her from properly carrying out her duties and giving the cultural sector the attention it required.
She thanked Kobakhidze, other government members and Culture Ministry staff, and said she would remain a supporter of the team. The government has not yet announced her replacement.
Rukhadze became culture minister in October, 2024, days before Georgia’s disputed parliamentary election. She replaced Tea Tsulukiani, who left the ministry to run for parliament on the ruling Georgian Dream party’s ticket.
Before entering the government, Rukhadze was best known as the director of Tbilisi’s National Youth Palace, a position she held from 2016. Her earlier career included work in music, television, theatre management, cultural production and business consulting.
Her tenure came during a tense period between the government and parts of Georgia’s cultural community. Artists and actors took part in protests after the government announced in November 2024 that it would not seek the opening of EU membership talks before the end of 2028.
One of the sharpest disputes came in April 2025, when the Culture Ministry dismissed Davit Doiashvili as director of the Vaso Abashidze Music and Drama Theatre. The theatre had suspended performances while demanding the release of actor Andro Chichinadze, who had been detained during pro-EU protests. The ministry said the theatre had failed to carry out its state-funded duties. Actors and cultural workers protested the dismissal and demanded a meeting with Rukhadze, but police prevented them from entering the ministry building.
Rukhadze also faced scrutiny over her finances. Transparency International Georgia included her in a list of alleged high-level corruption cases, citing a TV Pirveli investigation which claimed that she received 260,000 GEL in consulting fees from a friend’s company that had obtained more than 2 million GEL in direct public contracts, mainly from Tbilisi City Hall. The allegation was not established by a court, and the cited reports did not include a response from Rukhadze.
Her asset declarations also drew media attention for expensive handbags, property and large cash holdings. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that she bought a handbag valued at 8,100 euros one day before becoming minister.
