The Georgian Parliament Building in Kutaisi (Georgian: საქართველოს პარლამენტის შენობა ქუთაისში, romanized: sakartvelos p'arlament'is shenoba kutaisshi) was constructed from 2011 to 2012 in Kutaisi, traditionally the second most important city of Georgia, 231 kilometres (144 mi) west of Tbilisi, the nation's capital, to house the Parliament of Georgia. Built by the Spanish architecture firm CMD Ingenieros, the building was inaugurated on 26 May 2012 and, according to the respective constitutional clause, became the main seat of the newly elected Parliament in October 2012 until the legislature moved back to Tbilisi in January 2019.[3]
The exterior of the building is dominated by a 100-metre (330 ft) by 150-metre (490 ft) oval-shaped great glass and steel dome ploughed by a roof-like concrete element that rests on the vault.[4] It was constructed on the initiative of then-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili on the site of the Glory Memorial to Soviet soldiers of World War II; the monument was demolished with explosives to free space for the construction in December 2009, accidentally killing two people, a mother and a daughter. The government, during the building's construction, promoted it as a symbol of Georgia's bright, democratic future. Its location in Kutaisi was touted as a boost for the regional economy there as well as a way to knit the country closer together. Critics state that the building is a waste of money, and that having Parliament in Kutaisi, while the rest of the government remains in Tbilisi, is inefficient.[5] Saakashvili argued that the relocation would attract development to Kutaisi and provide security for the parliament in case of an invasion, as Tbilisi is closer to Russian-controlled areas.[6]
After Saakashvili's term in office expired, the new government of the Georgian Dream coalition decided to move all parliamentary activities back to Tbilisi.[7] The constitutional amendment passed in 2017 entered into force in December 2018, containing no reference to Kutaisi as the seat of the Parliament, meaning that the Parliament fully returned to the capital in January 2019.[8][9] The building in Kutaisi is set to pass into possession of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.[10] In 2021, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that the building was under the control of the Ministry of Economics and still abandoned, although the preserved horseman statue from the former Soviet war memorial had been erected on a new base near the building.[6] Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced in a government meeting in December 2022 that an information technology hub is planned to be established in the building.[11]
References
- ^ "Georgia's 'sci-fi' parliament building: Vision of the future or expensive folly?",Peter Shadbolt, CNN, June 13, 2012
- ^ a b c "CMD Ingenieros". 2013-01-20. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20.
- ^ "In Progress: New Parliament of Georgia / CMD Ingenieros". ArchDaily. 2012-06-26. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
- ^ "Georgia sees glass parliament as symbol of future" June 10, 2012, BBC News
- ^ "An expensive folly or an investment in the future?", Economist, June 14, 2012
- ^ a b Chapple, Amos (2021-05-14). "Georgia's Hypermodern Parliament Building Faces Uncertain Future". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
- ^ Kucera, Joshua (21 June 2018). "With loss of parliament, Georgia's second city prepares for a downgrade | Eurasianet". eurasianet. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ "Key Points of Newly Adopted Constitution". Civil Georgia. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ "New Constitution of Georgia comes into play as the presidential inauguration is over". Agenda.ge. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ "Kutaisi parliament building to be handed over to Interior Ministry". Agenda.ge. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ "Former Parliament building in Kutaisi to be turned into IT hub". Agenda.ge. 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2024-01-04.