At a meeting with lawmakers from his UNM party on September 16, President Saakashvili spoke strongly against the Georgian Dream-initiated constitutional amendments, expected to be debated in the Parliament this week.

According to new constitutional provisions, which will go into force after the inauguration of new president, elected in the October 27 election, threshold for passing any constitutional amendment will increase from current two-third (100 MPs) to three-fourth (113 MPs) majority.

But the constitutional amendment, proposed by the GD in June, envisages keeping the threshold unchanged at two-third majority.
 
Although GD has enough votes in the parliament to overcome presidential vetoes (90 votes), it falls short of 100 votes required for endorsing a constitutional amendment.

• GD Offers Constitutional Amendments

“Passing of these constitutional amendments is related to his [PM Ivanishvili] intention to have such a political system in which he will actually be able to completely usurp the power after his so called departure from politics,” Saakashvili said in televised remarks at the meeting with UNM MPs.

Saakashvili said that keeping the threshold unchanged will pave the way for series of other constitutional amendments and “as a result the entire Georgian political spectrum, life and key decisions will become concentrated in the hands” of Ivanishvili.

He also said that if GD is able to endorse these amendments, it “will eventually stop the progress in Georgia and the power will be usurped.” “Of course it will not last in a long run, but it will cause halting of the progress and will lead to chaos,” Saakashvili said.

“Consolidation of all the healthy political forces is now needed like never before,” he said.

Saakashvili also said the GD will try to attract UNM lawmakers’ votes to endorse the constitutional amendments with use of all the possible methods, including “bribing, blackmailing, twisting arms.”

“This is a decisive moment that will define whether Georgia can overcome the damage already inflicted to the country… or go deeper into the swamp where we are being dragged in recent months,” he said.