My true desire is to live in such a way as to feel proud of having accomplished my duty to my people and my children.

Nino Burjanadze is the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia. A well-known scholar, lawyer, and human rights protector, she was the first woman in Georgia to become a speaker of parliament. For many years before that, she led human rights and law commissions at the national and international level. Nino Burjanadze is famous as a leader and an example of peaceful conflict resolution during the Rose Revolution in 2003, the most important moment in developing and modernizing Georgia.

Nino Burjanadze believes that she has to use her capabilities to contribute to building a better future for Georgia, to resolve the problems Georgia is now facing, and to create the maximum of possibilities for the realization of the Georgian people's and each person’s potential. She wants to contribute to building a strong and united Georgian state, with the true values of justice and rule of law. She remembers the significant moment when she participated in her country's greatest change in recent history. “One of the most remarkable and unforgettable episodes of my life, perhaps, will be the memory of our entry into the building of Parliament during the Rose Revolution, where the representatives of the government party were declaring themselves winners of the rigged elections of 2 November 2003 and preparing for the plenary session. It was a crossroads between the old and the new. It was the end of the past, of the economically weak and disintegrated Georgia and the starting point for building a strong, united, and European country. The drive, motivation, unanimity, and determination of thousands of people participating in the meeting was really astonishing and amazing.” After the Rose Revolution Nino assumed the presidency until new elections could be held. In 2004, she was elected as a Speaker of the Parliament. She has always worked for democratic reforms and for Georgia becoming a part of the European Union. She considers serving people a privilege that one should deserve. “Parliament should always be a representative body; we must always keep in mind and understand that we represent tens of thousands of people, who have trusted in us,” Nino Burjanadze says.

Parliament of Georgia