TITLE:
The Presidential Institute in Georgia: Subjective Understanding of Political Needs and Institutional Transformations
AUTHORS:
Ruslan Baramidze, Maia Bolkvadze
KEYWORDS:
Power, Political Crisis, Presidential Institute, Georgia, Social Field, Social Capital, Media
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Political Science,
Vol.12 No.3,
July
29,
2022
ABSTRACT: This paper discusses the formation of the Presidency as an institution
and the presidential rule in Georgia, as well as some attempts by leaders in
power to change and strengthen the Presidency. Until 2010, changes in the
Presidency had been meant to strengthen the
institution, but the 2010 constitutional changes made prime minister the
head of the executive branch and significantly limited the powers of the
president. This paper discusses the process of establishing the Presidency according to the terms of three Presidents of
Georgia—Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Eduard Shevardnadze and Mikheil
Saakashvili. The process of power formation is discussed within
Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of social capital and social space/fields. The
analysis focuses on the context, importance
of personal capital, interaction with socially relevant actors/agents,
steps taken to strengthen the personal power, development of media content, and
the impact of procedural changes on the institutional sustainability.