The election of the 142nd Patriarch of Georgia will take place today at the expanded assembly of the Georgian Orthodox Church held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba Cathedral).
By decision of the Holy Synod, the candidates for the Patriarchate are: Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne and Metropolitan of Senaki and Chkhorotsku, Shio (Mujiri); Metropolitan Iobi of the Urbnisi and Ruisi Diocese; Metropolitan Grigoli of Poti and Khobi.
Around 1,200 delegates will attend the expanded church assembly at which the new Patriarch will be elected.
According to the Patriarchate, attendance inside Sameba Cathedral will only be permitted through special invitation lists. Entry to the cathedral will begin at 10:00. However, anyone wishing to attend will be allowed into the courtyard of the cathedral complex. The restriction applies only to entry inside the cathedral itself.
During the assembly, the Patriarchal candidates will deliver speeches, as well as one representative from each of their dioceses. Candidates will have a 5-minute speaking limit, while delegates will have 3 minutes.
The Patriarchate explained that the event will be partially broadcast on television. Parts of the session will remain closed: the opening of the doors, the voting process, and the final announcement of the results will be broadcast live, while the vote-counting process itself will be closed to the public.
According to the Patriarchate, the ballot papers will contain the names of the three candidates. After marking a choice, delegates will place the ballot into an envelope and then into a ballot box located in the center of the hall.
Under the Church administration regulations, a candidate must receive 50% plus one vote in the first round to be elected Patriarch immediately. In this case, that threshold is 20 votes. Therefore, if any candidate receives 20 votes, no second round will be held. If none of the candidates reaches 20 votes, a second round will take place between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.
The results will be announced today by the senior bishop by ordination, Metropolitan Anania Japaridze. The issue of enthronement will also be announced today, while the date of the enthronement ceremony itself will be determined by the newly elected Patriarch.
It should be recalled that the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, passed away on March 17, 2026, at the age of 93, after which the issue of electing a new head of the Georgian Orthodox Church was placed on the agenda.
