Tbilisi. The amendments, restricting, Presidents powers to
appoint individually the Cabinet of Ministers in case the parliament is
dissolved were approved by the legislative body of the country and signed
yesterday by President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili. They were published on
the web-page of the Legislative Bulletin of the Justice Ministry,
correspondingly, they came into effect.
The amendments to the Constitution of
Georgia were approved on March 25. After three month discussion, the majority
of the legislative body of Georgia and the opposition made a consensus.
Under the amendments to the Constitution
of Georgia, the President will no longer enjoy a right to dismiss country's
government without the Parliament's consent or maintain his appointed Cabinet
of Ministers (for indefinite period of time), provided that the latter has not
been approved by Parliament. Namely, the President will not enjoy a right to
dissolve the Parliament, which has declared no confidence to the President's
introduced government three times; as well as appoint the Prime Minister. At
the same time, former Cabinet of Ministers, led by the earlier dismissed
Premier, will be maintained. Pursuant to the amendments, the parliament should
not be dissolved "from May before the presidential elections till
inauguration of the newly elected head of the state.
The European Union and the USA welcomed
passing of the amendments.