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New Constitution Enters into Force

Constitution of Georgia. Photo: Parliament/Wikipedia

President Salome Zurabishvili’s inauguration on December 16 marked entry into force of the new constitution, which completes the country’s evolution from semi-presidential to parliamentary system of governance.

Under the new constitution, direct presidential elections are to be abolished and the country will transition to fully proportional parliamentary representation. The constitution reduces president’s executive powers further, a process launched in the 2010 changes.

Below are the key points of Georgia’s new constitution:

President

Parliament

The 2020 Parliamentary election will be held using the current mixed electoral system, where voters elect 73 MPs in majoritarian, single-seat constituencies, while the remaining 77 seats will be distributed proportionally in the closed party-list contest. The threshold for entering the Parliament will be reduced to 3% and parties will be allowed to form electoral blocs.

Prime Minister/Government

Other Provisions

The Parliament approved the new constitution on September 26, 2017, amid opposition boycott. Additional changes were adopted on March 22, 2018.

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