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Georgian Constitution Amended

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili signed amendments to the
country's Constitution on Wednesday, which reduce his authority and
tip the balance of power toward the prime minister.

The Georgian parliament passed the amendments, which include stripping
the president of the right to appoint or dismiss the government
without parliamentary approval, on March 25.

"Today [on Wednesday] the Georgian president signed amendments to the
Constitution, they will be published and will come into force later
today," Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili said.

The amendments also ban the dissolution of parliament during the
period that starts in May, the month before the forthcoming
parliamentary elections, and ends with the elected president's
inauguration.

The signing marks a new victory for billionaire Prime Minister Bidzina
Ivanishvili, whose Georgian Dream coalition has been locked in a power
struggle with Saakashvili's United National Movement after winning the
parliamentary elections last October.

The signing of the document "means that the Georgian president won't
be tempted to use his right to dissolve parliament, and the parliament
will be able to function without additional stress," Usupashvili said.

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