Part 316

Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council or Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats; members are elected to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 5 November 1995 (next to be held NA November 2000) election results : percent of vote by party - CUG 24%, NDP 8%, All Georgia Revival Union 7%, all other parties received less than 5% each; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Citizens Union of Georgia or CUG [Eduard SHEVARDNADZE, Zurab ZHVANIA, general secretary]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Irina SARISHVILI-CHANTARIA]; United Republican Party, umbrella organization for parties including the GPF and the Charter 1991 Party [Notar NATADZE, chairman]; Georgian Popular Front or GPF [Nodar NATADZE, chairman]; Charter 1991 Party [Tedo PAATASHVILI]; Georgian Social Democratic Party or GSDP [Guram MUCHAIDZE, secretary general]; All Georgia Union for Revival [Alsan ABASHIDZE]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Irakli SHENGELAYA]; Democratic Georgia Union or DGU [Avtandil MARGIANI]; National Independence Party or NIP [Irakliy TSERETELI, chairman]; Georgian Monarchists' Party or GMP [Temur ZHORZHOLIANI]; Greens Party; Agrarian Party of Georgia or APG [Roin LIPARTELIANI]; United Communist Party of Georgia or UCP [Panteleimon GIORGADZE, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders: supporters of ousted President Zviad GAMSAKHURDIA (deceased 1 January 1994) remain a source of opposition; separatist elements in the breakaway region of Abkhazia

International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE (guest), CIS, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NACC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tedo JAPARIDZE chancery: (temporary) Suite 424, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: (202) 393-5959 FAX : (202) 393-4537

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William H. COURTNEY embassy: #25 Antoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone : 995-32-989-967 or 995-32-933-803 (operator assisted) FAX: tie-line FAX 997-0200; 933-759 or 938-951

Flag description: maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner; rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below

Economy

Economy - overview: Georgia's economy has traditionally revolved around Black Sea tourism; cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, and grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing wine, metals, machinery, chemicals, and textiles. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. Its only sizable internal energy resource is hydropower. Despite the severe damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic gains in 1995-96, pushing GDP growth and slashing inflation. Georgia had been suffering from acute energy shortages, although energy deliveries improved in 1996. Georgia is pinning its hopes for long-term recovery on the development of an international transportation corridor through the key Black Sea ports of P'ot'i and Bat'umi. The decision in 1996 to construct an early Caspian oil pipeline through Georgia underscores the viability of such a corridor and may spur greater western investment in the economy. A growing trade deficit and political uncertainties cloud the short-term economic picture.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $7.1 billion (1996 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)

GDP - real growth rate: 11% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,350 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture : 70.4% industry: 10.2% services: 19.4% (1993 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 13.3% (1996 est.)

Labor force: total: 2.2 million (1996) by occupation: industry and construction 31%, agriculture and forestry 25%, other 44% (1990)

Unemployment rate: 21% (1996 est.)

Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries: steel, aircraft, machine tools, foundry equipment, electric locomotives, tower cranes, electric welding equipment, machinery for food preparation and meat packing, electric motors, process control equipment, trucks, tractors, textiles, shoes, chemicals, wood products, wine

Industrial production growth rate: 7.7% (1996 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 4.56 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 7.1 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,095 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: citrus, grapes, tea, vegetables, potatoes; small livestock sector

Exports: total value: $356 million (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: citrus fruits, tea, wine, other agricultural products; diverse types of machinery; ferrous and nonferrous metals; textiles; chemicals; fuel re-exports partners : Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria (1996)

Imports: total value: $647 million (c.i.f., 1995) commodities: fuel, grain and other foods, machinery and parts, transport equipment partners: Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan (1996); note - EU and US send humanitarian food shipments

Debt - external: $1.6 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $28 million (1993) note : commitments, 1992-95, $1,200 million ($675 million disbursements)