Parliament will review new Cabinet on July 26

The Parliament of Georgia is set to discuss the new Ministers appointed this week following a major Governmental shake-up.

Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili applied to Parliament to issue a vote of confidence in the revised Cabinet after the Prime Minister announced a major reshuffle on Monday where five Ministers were dismissed and two others were moved into other duties.

Parliament will discuss the issue at its extraordinary session on July 26, before committee sessions are held where the new Ministers will present their priorities in front of Members of Parliament (MPs).

According to the Georgian Constitution, if one third of Cabinet members (more than five) are changed, the President should apply to Parliament to give a new vote of confidence for the changed Cabinet.

In this case, seven Ministers were either dismissed or reshuffled into new roles, therefore Parliament must issue a vote of confidence to approve the changes.

The Parliamentary Secretary of the President Giorgi Kverenchkhiladze said the entire revised Cabinet must gain one third of total MP votes (more than 76) in order to be approved by Parliament.

"If Parliament issues a vote of confidence in the new Cabinet for the first and second voting, the two five of the MPs have to introduce the Prime Minister’s candidate who is the head of the government,” Kverenchkhiladze said.

If Parliament does not issue a vote of confidence in the Prime Minister candidate, the President has the right to fire Parliament.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibahsvili introduced six new Cabinet Ministers on Tuesday – one day after he dismissed seven Ministers from their duties. The seventh announcement to name the new Minister of Culture came one day later.

The country’s new Ministers are:

Click here to learn more about the new Georgian Ministers in our profiles.

Giorgi Mgebrishvili, former Kvemo Kartli regional Governor, as Minister of Corrections;

Davit Shavliashvili, former head of Roads Department, as Minister of Infrastructure;

Otar Danelia, ex-Deputy Minister, as Minister of Agriculture;

Gela Dumbadze, ex-Deputy Minister, as State Minister for Diaspora Issues; and

Mikheil Giorgadze, an economist by education with a rich cultural background, as Minister of Culture and Monument Protection.

The PM also moved two Ministers into other duties. He introduced:

Sozar Subari, former Minister of Corrections, as Minister Refugees and Accommodation; and

Elgija Khokrishvili, former Infrastructure Minister, as Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.