President Offers Majority Four Changes to Constitution

The President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili has offered the ruling party Georgian Dream (GD) four changes to the newly-adopted constitution, instead of two changes, initiated earlier by the GD.

President’s Parliamentary Secretary Ana Dolidze stated that the President made the decision after the meetings with the parliamentary majority and the opposition.

“The opposition and president decided to make a step of consent and made four proposals: prohibition of bonuses, admission of election blocs – the two issues demanded by the GD; also establishment of proportional election system from 2020 and fourth - to elect the president by the parliament when it is two-chamber,” Dolidze said.

She added that these are the basic steps towards the agreement, and all these four issues were also included in the recommendations of the Venice Commission.

The GD only demands two changes to the constitution, adopted by 117 votes on September 26, these are allowing formation of election blocks this year and abolition of bonuses, which would favor the leading party in the elections.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, Chairperson of the faction Georgian Dream, says that the majority will not agree on any other changes, and if they are added in the list of presidential remarks, after he vetoes the bill, the majority will override the veto.

“There are only two issues on which universal consensus had been achieved. If other issues are added to these two issues, we will have to override the veto. Discussion on other issues has been closed,” he said.

The amendments, made to the already adopted constitution, envisage moving to a classical parliamentary model. They also imply moving to full proportional election system from 2024, instead of previously promised 2020.

The president and the opposition demand introduction of fully proportional elections from 2020, but the majority resists.

The ruling GD can easily override presidential veto, as it happened several times in the past, because the ruling party has 116 MPs in a 150-seat parliament.

In order to override a veto, the votes of 76 MPs are needed.

By Thea Morrison

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