PM-designate Irakli Garibashvili is expected to name his cabinet on later on Monday afternoon after a meeting of the Georgian Dream coalition leaders and lawmakers.

So far the only publicly announced change in the incumbent government will involve appointment of 28-year-old head of Tbilisi police department, Alexandre Tchikaidze as new interior minister to replace Garibashvili; the PM-designate has said recently that he plans no major reshuffle in the cabinet.

New President Giorgi Margvelashvili signed his first presidential decree after the inauguration on Sunday formally authorizing the incumbent ministers, including PM Ivanishvili to continue performing their duties before new cabinet receives parliament’s vote of confidence.

Parliamentary Chairman, Davit Usupashvili, said that hearings in parliamentary committees on prime ministerial candidacy and the cabinet will start on November 19; he said that hearings will then continue at the parliamentary session on November 20 followed by the vote.

New constitution went into force after the presidential inauguration on November 17, cutting significantly presidential powers and increasing those of PM. Entry into force of the new constitution also automatically resulted into resignation of the incumbent cabinet and its members are now acting ministers.

Earlier this month chief prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili announced about intention to step down after the inauguration of the new president. Head of investigative service of the Ministry of Finance, Otar Partskhaladze, was named by Garibashvili as Kbilashvili’s replacement. 

Reports say that chief of army staff, Col. Irakli Dzneladze, is also expected to be replaced. Under the new constitution the president appoints Chief of Joint Staff of the Georgian Armed forces, but only in agreement with the government. Col. Dzneladze was appointed on the post in December, 2012 and his candidacy was a compromise between then President Saakashvili, who under the previous constitution had the right to appoint chief of army staff without agreement of the government, and Defense Minister Irakli Alasania, who wanted on the post Brig. Gen. Vakhtang Kapanadze, who is now deputy chief of army staff. If chief of army staff is replaced, Kapanadze is the likely candidate to take the post.