TBILISI, October 8 – Georgian Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili has been promoted to deputy prime minister, a move that has prompted speculation that she could succeed Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
Kobakhidze announced the appointment at a government meeting on Wednesday. Kvrivishvili will remain minister of economy and sustainable development while taking on the additional role.
Although there are no indications that Kobakhidze intends to resign in the near future, analysts are weighing the significance of the appointment and whether it could signal a succession.
Political analyst Gia Khukhashvili told Interpressnews that Kvrivishvili could potentially replace Kobakhidze, and linked the promotion with Kobakhidze’s unusually long presentation at the same government meeting, where the prime minister spent more than half an hour reviewing projects carried out or underway during his premiership. He suggested Kvrivishvili could potentially serve as acting prime minister during a transition or become prime minister herself.
Kvrivishvili has risen rapidly through the economic wing of Georgian Dream. Kobakhidze appointed her economy minister on June 24, 2025, after she had served as deputy economy minister with responsibility for areas including tourism and aviation. At the time of her appointment, he also identified her as a member of Georgian Dream’s political council.
Her tenure as economy minister has put her at the center of the government’s push to develop Georgia as a transport and logistics hub between Asia and Europe. In September, she used a visit to China to promote the Anaklia deep-sea port and modernization of the Georgian railway, while holding talks with Chinese officials and companies in transport, port operations and energy.
Kvrivishvili has also pursued manufacturing and tourism projects. During the same China trip, she met BAIC International and presented a study on the possibility of establishing an electric vehicle plant in Georgia. The Chinese automaker will send a working group as part of the plans. Last month, she announced that Georgia will host a UN Tourism innovation forum at next year’s Kutaisi Technology Hub.
With her background promoting industrial development and large technical schemes, Kvrivishvili would fit well at the helm of a government that has become increasingly technocratic, as the analyst described it.
