monarchy option has always caused an ambiguous resonance in Georgia. On the one hand, the monarchy is considered a symbol of Georgian unity and independence, and on the other hand it belongs to a remote past, with a significant gap of more than 200 years in monarchic tradition. Thus, according to one survey conducted in 1998, only 16.3% of 828 respondents believed that a monarchy would be a good or very good form of government for Georgia when asked how suitable they think various types of government were or would be for Georgia. The skeptics say the restoration of the monarchy is technically impossible due to several reasons including the number of candidates and an unsettled question of succession to the Georgian throne. Additionally, they believe that the criteria for selecting the king will lead to major disagreements. The birth of Prince Giorgi Bagration Bagrationi in September 2011 who in his person potentially will unite the two principal surviving branches of the family, may help diminish such skepticism. The supporters of constitutional monarchy continue to argue that this form of state would best protect the interests of citizens of Georgia; a monarch "would reign not rule", and act as a safeguard of stability and national unity. They see the return to monarchy as a "historical justice", referring to the fact that the native royal dynasty has never been rejected or overthrown by the Georgian people, but was dispossessed by a foreign power (i.e., Russia). On 16 December 2018, Prince David Bagration of Mukhrani was invited to the inauguration at a former royal residence of Georgia's first female president, Salome Zourabichvili. While leader of opposition party The Way of Georgia, Zourabichvili is quoted having said in October 2008, “I have always been a supporter of constitutional monarchy as the right form for Georgia. But, this issue needs to be resolved after the elections in the country. Right now, the main thing is to get the country out of the turmoil and prepare for the next elections, and then [we can] decide whether we need the institution of the president. Personally, I think that the presidential republic does not [have justification] in our country and we need to think about switching to a system of constitutional monarchy." Public opinion Public opinions about the restoration of monarchy in Georgia. See also Georgian monarchs family tree of Bagrationi dynasty Georgian monarchs family tree of