Parliament approved on December 27 setting up of a 58-member state commission, chaired by parliament speaker Davit Usupashvili, tasked to table amendments to the constitution before September 1, 2014.    

Decision to establish the commission was endorsed by the parliament in October and on December 27 it confirmed members of the commission, which will take decisions with two-thirds majority vote.

Georgia’s new constitutional model went into force in November, 2013; this model shifted power from president to prime minister.

Davit Usupashvili, parliament speaker and chairman of the commission, told lawmakers on December 27 that the current constitution has “serious shortcomings” which should be addressed by the commission; he, however, also said that he personally would be in favor of “improving” the existing model rather than replacing it with other.

The commission includes total of 21 lawmakers of which 13 are from GD parliamentary majority group, 6 are from UNM parliamentary minority group and two are independent MPs. The commission also includes senior officials from the judiciary and the executive government, as well as legal experts and representatives from eight non-governmental organizations.

GD lawmakers in the commission are: Davit Usupashvili; Vakhtang Khmaladze; Tina Khidasheli; Giorgi Kakhiani; Shalva Shavgulidze; Manana Kobakhidze; Eka Beselia; Eliso Chapidze; Zakaria Kutsnashvili; Shalva Kiknavelidze; Giga Bukia; Irakli Chikovani and Zurab Abashidze.

UNM lawmakers: Davit Bakradze; Pavle Kublashvili; Levan Bezhashvili; Giorgi Kandelaki; Akaki Bobokhidze and Giorgi Gviniashvili.

Two remaining MPs, who are the members of the commission, are MP Kakha Okriashvili from the parliamentary faction of independent majoritarians and MP Gocha Enukidze.

Non-parliamentary political parties are represented in the commission by Levan Vepkhvadze of the Christian Democratic Movement; Rati Maisuradze of the Christian Democratic People’s Party; Pikria Chikhradze of the New Rights Party; Levan Bodzashvili of the Georgia’s Way; Tamar Jugeli from the Movement For Fair Georgia; Giorgi Khokerashvili from the European Democrats and Giorgi Kobakhidze of the Democratic Movement-United Georgia party, led by Nino Burjanadze.
 
Civil society organizations are represented by Tamar Gabisonia from the Article 42 of the Constitution; Kakha Kozhoridze of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association; Kakha Kakhishvili from the Research Center for Elections and Political Technologies; Vakhtang Natsvlishvili from the Open Society Georgia Foundation; Lasha Tugushi of the Coalition for Media Advocacy; Uzurmag Karkusov of the Public Congress of Nations; Levan Tsutskiridze of NIMD Georgia (Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy); Elene Khoshtaria of Georgia’s Reforms Associates (GRASS), and chairman of the Georgian Bar Association Zaza Khatiashvili.

Commission also includes legal experts: Gia Getsadze; Vasil Gonashvili; Avtandil Demetrashvili; Marine Kvachadze; Giorgi Kverenchkhiladze; Tevdore Ninidze; Zaza Rukhadze; Iuri Tabutsadze; Mindia Ugrekhelidze; Paata Tsnobiladze; Vakhtang Dzabiradze; Joni Khetsuriani and Zurab Jibgashvili.

Other members of the commission are: Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili; Chairman of the Constitutional Court Giorgi Papuashvili; Chairman of the Supreme Court Konstantine Kublashvili; Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani; Chairman of the Supreme Council of Adjara Autonomous republic Avtandil Beridze; chairman of the Tbilisi-based Abkhaz legislative body-in-exile Gia Gvazava; president’s parliamentary secretary Davit Pataraia and government’s parliamentary secretary Shalva Tadumadze.