Zurab Nogaideli (Georgian: ზურაბ ნოღაიდელი; born October 22 1964) is a Georgian politician, the Prime Minister of Georgia.

He was born in the coastal town of Kobuleti in the southwestern region of Ajaria. In 1987 he graduated from the Faculty of Physics of the Moscow State University. He worked for the Geography Institute of the Georgian Academy of Sciences between 1988-1992.

Nogaideli became a deputy in the Parliament of Georgia in 1992, following the overthrow of President Zviad Gamsakhurdia, and chaired the Parliamentary Tax and Income Committee during 1999-2000.

He joined the government of Gamsakhurdia's successor, Eduard Shevardnadze, in the capacity of minister of finance in May 2000. He was sacked two years later without explanation, though it appears that he had intended to resign in protest against the policies of the Shevardnadze government.

After Shevardnadze was ousted in the Rose Revolution of November 21-November 23, 2003, Nogaideli returned to government as the economic adviser to the acting president, Nino Burjanadze. He was re-appointed to his old post as minister of finance in February 2004 in the government of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania.

President Mikhail Saakashvili nominated Nogaideli for the post of Prime Minister on February 11 2005 following the untimely death of Zhvania. He was confirmed by the Georgian Parliament on February 17 2005 by a vote of 175 to 24, and was sworn in immediately. Nogadeli is not a member of any party and is regarded as a technocrat with a tough approach to the corruption that plagues Georgia's economy.

Nogadeli is married and has one child.

References

• Zurab Nogaideli to introduce new government in 2 days, ITAR-TASS (Russia), 8 February 2005