Salome Zourabichvili is a Georgian politician and the fifth president of Georgia. She was the first woman elected to the post. As president, Zourabichvili used her constitutional powers to challenge the increasingly anti-democratic policies of the ruling Georgian Dream party, such as the repressive 2024 “foreign agents” law targeting independent NGOs. Her staunch defense of civil rights despite increasing obstruction and harassment by the regime, including a failed impeachment attempt, have made her one of the most indispensable champions of democracy in Georgia.

Prior to her presidential term, Zourabichvili had an extensive career in diplomacy and domestic politics. She began her career with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, serving for over three decades in various diplomatic postings as well as in French missions to international organizations such as the United Nations, NATO, the Western European Union, and the OSCE. In 2003, she was appointed French Ambassador to Georgia. In 2004, she entered Georgian politics as Minister of Foreign Affairs, where she pursued reforms aimed at strengthening the professionalism and independence of the foreign service.