Political figure Zurab Zhvania: biography, activities and interesting facts

The revolution, like a monster, devours its own children. In the 21st century, this is not so often manifested, but Zurab Zhvania, a political figure who actively participated in the Georgian Rose Revolution, died under mysterious circumstances two years after the overthrow of the previous government. Over the years, hundreds of versions of the incident have been put forward, many investigations have been initiated, but even today the reasons for the death of the prime minister remain vague.

Climbing Policy

Zurab Vissarionovich Zhvania was born in 1963 in an intelligent Soviet family of physicists. Ram Antonov's mom had Armenian-Jewish roots. After graduating from school, Zurab entered the Tbilisi State Institute of Biology. Successfully defending the diploma, he remained working in his native university at the Department of Human and Animal Physiology.

The beginning of perestroika opened the way for ambitious young people who want to make a career in politics. Zurab Zhvania did not stay aside. What is the party activity, he learned at a young age, creating in 1989 his own Green Party.

Gradually, the politician wins authority in Georgia, remaining oppositional to the existing Soviet power. Soon he enters the international level, becoming for several years the co-chairman of the Green Party.

Until 1992, Zurab Zhvania worked at the university and remained the leader of his movement. Only after the collapse of the Soviet Union he was able to actively participate in the state building of Georgia.

Period of independent Georgia

After gaining independence in Georgia Zurab Vissarionovich Zhvania's biography is undergoing radical changes. The formation of statehood in the country was accompanied by a series of political and social cataclysms. Civil war, insurrections in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which dreamed of getting rid of the Georgian yoke - all this fell to the young republic in the first years of independent development.

By 1993, Zurab Zhvania made his political choice and put on the authoritative Eduard Shevardnadze. The coalition party of the CUG (Union of Georgian Citizens), created by a young politician, was conceived as a movement in support of Eduard Shevardnadze. Two years later, the CHS won a deafening victory in the parliamentary elections, and Zurab Zhvania was elected chairman of the legislative assembly of the republic.

Four years later he was re-elected to this post and continued to head the legislative branch until 2001.

Revolutionary

At the turn of the century Zurab Zhvania became in opposition to the incumbent president Eduard Shevardnadze. By that time, the society was tired of economic problems, corruption and was dissatisfied with the fact that Abkhazia and South Ossetia left Georgia. The president quickly lost popularity, and Zurab Zhvania officially broke off relations with him, leaving the CHS and resigning as speaker.

In 2002 he headed the parliamentary faction "Democrats". The next step in the biography of Zurab Zhvania is the creation of his own political movement called "United Democrats".

In the 2003 parliamentary elections, he was a member of the Burjanadze-Democrats bloc. The victory of the pro-presidential party Eduard Shevardnadze caused a series of mass protests. Crowds of demonstrators took to the streets demanding the resignation of the current authorities. Leaders of the opposition, who led this movement, were just Zhvania, Burjanadze and Mikhail Saakashvili. As a result, the famous "Rose Revolution" happened, and the supporters of change came to power.

Strange death

After the triumphant victory of the revolution, its leaders took key posts in the government. Saakashvili became president, Burjanadze - the speaker, and Zurab Zhvania was appointed to the position of state minister. A year later he was officially confirmed as the Prime Minister of Georgia.

However, post-revolutionary reality in the country was accompanied by profound reforms and a clash of interests of many influential groups. Zurab Zhvania became one of the victims of Georgia's transformation. He was found dead in an apartment in the center of Tbilisi in 2005 under very strange circumstances.

On February 3, the Prime Minister arrived in an apartment on Saburtalinskaya Street to meet with his friend Raul Yusupov, deputy authorized representative of the country's president in one of the regions. He dismissed his guards, saying that he would call them if necessary. However, after a few hours the bodyguards could not get through to their ward and returned to their seats. After breaking the window lattice, they penetrated into the apartment and discovered the bodies of Zurab Zhvania and Raul Yusupov. According to eyewitnesses, there was a smell of gas in the room.

February 5 and 6 became days of state mourning in Georgia in connection with the death of a high-ranking official. Zurab Zhvania's funeral was attended by delegations from many countries, including Russia, which was represented by Transport Minister Igor Levitin.

Official version

The official version of the incident was made public the very next day after the death of the prime minister. According to the Minister of the Interior of the country, there was a leak of gas from a defective gas heater Iranian production. Investigators claimed that Raul Yusupov rented an apartment on Saburtalinskaya Street a month before the sad events, and three days before his death he put an ill-fated gas heater in the apartment.

Alternative versions

However, in the course of time, many inconsistencies and contradictions with the official version began to appear. For example, the owner of the "bad" apartment claimed that the gas heater was installed not three days, but three months before the death of officials and worked quite well.

In addition, Zhvania's relatives said that fingerprints of the dead had not even been found in that apartment.

There are many alternative versions of what happened. According to one of them, high-ranking state officials did not share the money received from the privatization of the Georgian Shipping Company. During the ensuing quarrel Zurab Zhvania was killed, and his body was brought to that very apartment on Saburtalinskaya street.

Many times since then independent investigations of Zhvania's death have been initiated, but even today his death remains a mystery.