Georgian Parliament to adopt new round of constitutional changes next year
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The parliament of Georgia will most likely pass new a round of constitutional amendments in March of 2018, says Parliamentary Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze.
Kobakhidze explained today that a new addition can be initiated only after the latest addition of changes officially come into force.
The Georgian parliament adopted the latest addition of constitutional amendments on October 13. However, the Venice Commission has issued several recommendations for the country’s main document and parliament is planning to imitate a new addition of amendments in accordance with the Commission’s instructions.
Kobakhidze said that the current plan is the following:
- to hold two hearings for the new amendments by the end 2017, and
- to pass new amendments at its third hearing in March of 2018
"Legally, we can initiate new constitutional changes only after the previous changes come into force – in other words, after they are signed and officially published. This means, we will be able to initiate a new document in about a week”, Kobakhidze said.
He added that in the new package of amendments, parliament will only include those issues that the Venice Commission named in its recommendations. These are:
- Election blocs
- Method of sharing of undistributed votes (or bonus system)
- Freedom of religion
- Freedom to assembly and association
- Constitutional Court
The Venice Commission’s opinion on Georgian constitutional reforms can be found here.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili says that Georgia’s new constitution is a major step forward on the path of the democratic development of the country.
The parliament of Georgia has overridden the president’s veto on the constitutional amendments and confirmed the country’s new constitution that will come into force following the 2018 presidential elections.
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has vetoed the constitutional changes that the Parliament adopted on September 26. He returned the bill back to the parliament with six recommendations.
The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) congratulates the Georgian Parliament with adoption of the new Constitution.
President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili has signed the new edition of Constitution that Parliament adopted on September 26. Margvelashvili announced the news at a press briefing a short time ago.
The parliament of Georgia has adopted the remaining changes planned for the state constitution with its first reading, meaning two other readings are still ahead until the final approval of the amendments.
Over a century ago on February 21, 1921, the Constituent Assembly of Georgia adopted the first constitution of the newly independent country. Today Georgia is celebrating the anniversary of the landmark historical document that formed the basis of the country’s contemporary constitution nearly a century ago.
The parliament of Georgia has unanimously voted for final changes to the state constitution at the plenary session yesterday.
The new constitution of Georgia, which was adopted in 2017, has automatically come into play after the yesterday’s presidential inauguration.