Constitutional Amendments on the Reduction of Prime-Minister’s Authority Went in Force

Interpresnews 

Constitutional initiative adopted by the Parliament of Georgia on the reduction of the Prime-Minister’s authority has gone in force.

The bill of constitutional amendments, which was approved at the third hearing on October 4 session, was published with President Mikheil Saakashvili’s signature. Hence, the Constitutional Amendments went in force, which will amend some constitutional norms, to be worked out after the presidential elections.

Namely, PM will no longer connect the adoption of the draft-law by the parliament with its trust to the government and to raise issue of trusting the government at the parliament together with submitting the draft-law. Besides that, in accordance to the amendments, if PM does not adopt the state budget within two months after the parliament launches new fiscal year, it will be considered as mistrust to the government and procedures prescribed by the Constitution will go in force.

Besides that, the endorsed constitutional initiative allows the Parliament of Georgia to control the personnel changes in the Government of Georgia. Namely, the Constitution still contains the President’s obligation to present the members of the government to get parliament’s trust. This norm was about to be annulled in the Constitution after the Presidential Election but the ruling coalition decided to leave it in the Constitution.