President Urges MPs to Approve Constitutional Amendments

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili called on the Parliament today to support and approve the constitutional amendments. 

The constitutional amendments elaborated by the Justice Ministry, imply introduction of Cabinet of Ministers and the post of Prime Minister.

The opposition, as well as some legal experts and representatives of the civil society leaders claim that the proposed constitutional changes considers increase of the President’s power on the expense of the Parliament.  

“The constitutional amendments are necessary to establish a coordinated team of executive government to overcome the current crisis. I know that these amendments have become rather disputable. I know that there are some issues that are really disputable. But I ask the Parliament to keep unity and enable the new governmental team to take active steps towards overcoming the crisis,” Mikheil Saakashvili said at a specially convened news conference on February 5.

“Our task is to create a system, which gives flexible methods of making political decisions,” the President added.

Commenting on the future role of the Parliament, Saakashvili said “the Parliament’s rights will be increased.”

“It [the Parliament] will have the right to dissolve the government. We need strong authorities and consolidated team of ministers to settle all the problems,” Saakashvili said. 

Speaking about the recent statement of his former ally Koba Davitashvili, who left the President’s National Movement party because of disagreement over the constitutional changes, Mikheil Saakashvili said that “everyone should sacrifice in the name of unity.”

“Even Zurab Zhvania, who will become the Prime Minister was against certain proposals in the constitutional amendments, but he refused to push his complains forward in order to secure unity among the country’s leadership,” Saakashvili said.

The President dismissed the opponents’ accusations that the constitutional changes are made particularly for Zurab Zhvania. “It is not true,” he added.

MP Koba Davitashvili, who quitted the National Movement, said that the proposed constitutional amendments threaten “parliamentary institution and creates basis for authoritarian rule in the country.”