{{Short description|Georgian politician (born 1980)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Irakli Chikovani | native_name = {{nobold|ირაკლი ჩიქოვანი}} | native_name_lang = ka | image = Georgia Minister of Defense Irakli Chikovani (ირაკლი ჩიქოვანი) upon the conclusion of the 23rd iteration of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 13, 2024 (cropped).jpg | caption = Chikovani in 2024 | office = Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia | prime_minister = Irakli Kobakhidze | alongside = Thea Tsulukiani {{small|(2024–2024)}}{{Clear}}Vakhtang Gomelauri {{small|(2024–2025)}}{{Clear}}Mamuka Mdinaradze {{small|(2026– present)}}{{Clear}}Maka Botchorishvili{{small|(2026– present)}} | term_start = 8 February 2024<ref>[https://www.gov.ge/files/598_87158_984147_21.pdf საქართველოს პრემიერ-მინისტრის ბრძანება №21 ირაკლი ჩიქოვანის თავდაცვის მინისტრად დანიშვნის შესახებ], https://www.gov.ge/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618115644/https://www.gov.ge/ |date=2024-06-18 }}</ref> | predecessor = Levan Davitashvili | successor = | office1 = Minister of Defence | prime_minister1 = Irakli Kobakhidze | term_start1 = 8 February 2024 | predecessor1 = Juansher Burchuladze | successor1 = | office2 = Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia | 1blankname2 = Speaker | 1namedata2 = Shalva Papuashvili | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | term_start2 = 16 November 2023 | term_end2 = 8 February 2024 | office3 = Member of the Parliament of Georgia | term_start3 = 11 December 2020 | term_end3 = 20 February 2024 | term_start4 = 21 October 2012 | term_end4 = 18 November 2016 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|8|28|df=y}} | birth_place = Zugdidi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union (now Georgia) | death_date = | death_place = | party = Georgian Dream | spouse = Diana Zhgenti | children = 3 | alma_mater = Tbilisi State University | citizenship = Georgia | signature = | term_end = | term_end1 = }} '''Irakli Chikovani''' (born 28 August 1980) is a Georgian politician who has served as the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence of Georgia since February 8, 2024. A member of the Georgian Dream party, he was previously a Member of Parliament from 2020 to 2024 and 2012 to 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Irakli Chikovani - Parliament of Georgia |url=https://parliament.ge/en/parliament-members/2247/activity |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=parliament.ge |language=en}}</ref>
==Biography== Chikovani joined politics in 2012, as a member of former Deputy Prime Minister Irakli Alasania's Free Democrats party, which was initially a part of the Georgian Dream coalition. After the coalition was disbanded,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Free Democrats: New opposition party in Georgia |url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2014/2563 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=Agenda.ge}}</ref> Chikovani participated in the Free Democrats 2016 election campaign, in which the party failed to obtain any seats.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Georgia's Free Democrats announces party list ahead of October elections |url=https://www.commonspace.eu/index.php/georgias-free-democrats-announces-party-list-ahead-october-elections |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=commonspace.eu |language=en}}</ref> In 2020, Chikovani rejoined Georgian Dream and ran for MP in the Zugdidi constituency in that year's election, he won the seat with 93,88% of the vote.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-02 |title=ალასანია, გახარია, კობახიძე - ირაკლი ჩიქოვანის გზა თავდაცვის მინისტრობამდე |url=https://www.radiotavisupleba.ge/a/%E1%83%90%E1%83%9A%E1%83%90%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90%E1%83%9C%E1%83%98%E1%83%90-%E1%83%92%E1%83%90%E1%83%AE%E1%83%90%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%90-%E1%83%99%E1%83%9D%E1%83%91%E1%83%90%E1%83%AE%E1%83%98%E1%83%AB%E1%83%94-%E1%83%98%E1%83%A0%E1%83%90%E1%83%99%E1%83%9A%E1%83%98-%E1%83%A9%E1%83%98%E1%83%A5%E1%83%9D%E1%83%95%E1%83%90%E1%83%9C%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1-%E1%83%92%E1%83%96%E1%83%90-%E1%83%97%E1%83%90%E1%83%95%E1%83%93%E1%83%90%E1%83%AA%E1%83%95%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1-%E1%83%9B%E1%83%98%E1%83%9C%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1%E1%83%A2%E1%83%A0%E1%83%9D%E1%83%91%E1%83%90%E1%83%9B%E1%83%93%E1%83%94/32803059.html |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=რადიო თავისუფლება |language=ka}}</ref> On February 8, 2024, Chikovani joined Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's government as the Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-02-08 |title=Georgian Parliament Approves New Premier Ahead of Elections |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-08/georgian-parliament-approves-new-premier-ahead-of-elections |access-date=2024-02-14 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}} <!--{{infobox politician|სახელი=ირაკლი ჩიქოვანი|მშობლიურ ენაზე=|სურათი=|სურათის ზომა=|წარწერა=|დაბადების სახელი=|ფსევდონიმი=|დაბადების თარიღი={{დაბადების თარიღი და ასაკი|1980|8|28}}|დაბადების ადგილი=ზუგდიდი, საქართველოს სსრ, სსრკ|გარდაცვალების თარიღი=|გარდაცვალების ადგილი=|მოქალაქეობა={{დროშა|საქართველო}}|განათლება=თბილისის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი|სამეცნიერო ხარისხი=|ეროვნება=|რელიგია=|პარტია=ქართული ოცნება - დემოკრატიული საქართველო|ძირითადი იდეები=|საქმიანობა=|მამა=|დედა=|მეუღლე=დიანა ჟღენტი|შვილები=3|ჯილდოები=|ხელმოწერა=|საიტი=}}-->
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chikovani, Irakli}} Category:Georgian Dream politicians Category:Tbilisi State University alumni Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Deputy prime ministers of Georgia Category:Ministers of defence of Georgia Category:Members of the Parliament of Georgia