Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has signed the draft constitutional ammendments into law, slightly over a week after the President vetoed the very same bill.
 
“It is extremely difficult for me to sign this Constitution; however, considering the country’s internal and external challenges and the fact that we should take all steps to avoid possible causes of destabilization, I, as the Head of State, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and the guarantor of the Constitution, am signing this document,” President Margvelashvili announced at a special news briefing on October 19.
 
He also noted that “it has been obvious since the very first day (of the constitutional reform process) that the ruling party aimed at adopting a one-party Constitution.”
 
“That is why, I was the first person to speak about the possibility of adopting a one-party constitution and took steps accordingly. Throughout the entire year, my team and I have been stating one simple thing both inside and outside the country that the constitution is for everyone; we have been trying to adopt a consensus-based document,” the President said, adding that the Parliament, regretfully, still adopted the constitution without broader political consensus.
 
The Parliament of Georgia approved the constitutional ammendments on its third and final reading at its special sitting on September 26. President Margvelashvili vetoed the constitutional amendments on October 9, and returned the draft bill to the Parliament together with his objections, which the Parliament overturned on October 13 and approved the initial version of the document.
 
The new constitution will enter into force following the next presidential elections in 2018.