Parliament endorsed on November 13 credentials of ten new MPs from Georgian Dream coalition’s party-list, who have replaced in Parliament those former lawmakers, who were appointed on various government posts, mainly as ministers and deputy ministers.

Seven of ten new MPs are from PM Bidzina Ivanishvili’s party Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia: Makhir Darziev; Tamaz Mechiauri; Alexander Tamazashvili; Tengiz Khubuluri; Otar Chrdileli; Davit Lortkipanidze; Omar Nishnianidze; two are from Our Georgia-Free Democrats: Giorgi Tsagareishvili (he was an MP in previous Parliament as well) and Tamaz Shioshvili and one Republican Party member: Pridon Sakvarelidze.

These new lawmakers have replaced Irakli Alasania, who is now Defense Minister; Irakli Garibashvili, who is Interior Minister; prison system minister Sozar Subari; Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze; Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri; Culture Minister Guram Odisharia; State Minister for Reintegration Paata Zakareishvili; State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alexi Petriashvili and deputy interior ministers Lasha Natsvlishvili and Gela Khvedelidze.

Three seats in the Parliament remain vacant. These are those three majoritarian MPs from the Georgian Dream coalition who have also been appointed in the executive government after the elections – Tea Tsulukiani, who was elected in Tbilisi’s Nadzaladevi single-mandate constituency was appointed as Justice Minister; Kakha Kaladze, who won majoritarian race in Samtredia constituency became Energy Minister and Archil Kbilashvili, who was a majoritarian MP from Bagdati single-mandate constituency, was appointed as chief prosecutor.

MP by-elections should be held in these three single-mandate constituencies to fill the vacant majoritarian seats in the Parliament. According to the law by-elections should be held next October, but the Parliament plans to amend the law in order to hold by-elections in spring, 2013.

Currently, the Georgian Dream coalition, which won 85 seats in the 150-member Parliament, actually has 82 lawmakers.

59 lawmakers from President Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM) make up the parliamentary minority group.

Six MPs, who although were elected as UNM members but refused to join the parliamentary minority group, make up a separate faction which is a member of neither parliamentary majority nor minority groups.