Parliament of Georgia ( ) is the supreme legislature of Georgia. It is unicameral and has 150 members, known as deputies, from which 75 members are proportional representatives and 75 are elected through single-member district plurality system, representing their constituencies. All members of the Parliament are elected for four years on the basis of universal human suffrage.

The Constitution of Georgia grants Parliament of Georgia central legislative power, which is limited by the Parliaments of the autonomous republics of Adjara and Abkhazia.

Slightly predating the Magna Carta in the United Kingdom, an idea of limiting the royal power and creating a parliamentary-type body of government was conceived among the aristocrats and citizens in the 12th century Kingdom of Georgia, during the reign of Queen Tamar, the first Georgian female monarch.

History

In the view Queen Tamar's oppositionists and their leader, Qutlu Arslan (a Georgian Simon de Montfort), the first Georgian Parliament was to be formed of two "Chambers": a) Darbazi – or assembly of aristocrats and influential citizens who would meet from time to time to take decisions on the processes occurring in the country, the implementation of these decisions devolving on the monarch b) Karavi – a body in permanent session between the meetings of the Darbazi. The confrontation ended in the victory of the supporters of unlimited royal power. Qutlu Arslan was arrested on the Queen’s order.

Subsequently, it was only in 1906 that the Georgians were afforded the opportunity of sending their representatives to a Parliamentary body of Government, to the Second State Duma (from 1801 Georgia had been incorporated in the Russian Empire).Georgian deputies of the Duma were: Noe Zhordania (later the President of independent Georgia in 1918-21), Ilia Chavchavadze (founder of the Georgian National Movement), Irakli Tsereteli (leader of the Social-Democratic Faction in the Second Duma, later Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia’s Provisional Government), Karlo Chkheidze (leader of the Menshevik Faction in the Fourth State Duma, Chairman of the first convocation of the Central Executive Committee of the All-Russian Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies in 1917, and Chairman of the Trans-Caucasian Seym in 1918), and others. In 1918 the first "Georgian National Parliament" was founded in the already independent Georgia. In 1921 the Parliament adopted the first Georgian Constitution.

Shortly after the adoption of the Constitution Georgia was occupied by the Communist troops of Russia.

This was followed by a gap of 69 years in the Parliamentary Government in Georgian history. The first multiparty Elections in the Soviet Union were held in Georgia on 28 October 1990. The elected Supreme Soviet (the name of the simulated and pseudo-Parliament in the former Soviet Union) proclaimed the independence of Georgia).

On 26 May 1991 Georgia’s population elected the Chairman of the Supreme Council Zviad Gamsakhurdia as President of the country.

The tension between the ruling and opposition Parties gradually intensified, which in 1991-92 developed into an armed conflict. The President left the country, the Supreme Soviet ceased to function and power was taken over by the Military Council.

In 1992 Eduard Shevardnadze (Minister of Foreign Affairs of the former Soviet Union) returned to Georgia, assuming Chairmanship of the Military Council which was reconstituted into a State Council. The State Council restored Georgia’s Constitution of 1921. The Council announced 4 August 1992 the day of Parliamentary Elections.

In 1995 the newly elected Parliament adopted a new Constitution. Georgia now has a semi-presidential system with a unicameral parliament.

Structure

The Georgian Parliament is the country’s Supreme representative body which effects legislative authority, determines the main directions of the country’s home and foreign policy, controls the activity of the Government within limits defined by the Constitution and exercises other rights.

The Parliament is chaired by its speaker. Zurab Zhvania held the post of speaker from November 1995 until he broke with then-President Eduard Shevardnadze and resigned from the post on November 1, 2001. At the close of a "marathon" session, Nino Burjanadze was elected speaker on November 10, 2001. She held the speakership until the parliament elected in 2008 convened, as she had chosen not to run in the 2008 parliamentary elections. Davit Bakradze, who headed the ruling National Movement's party list in the 2008 parliamentary elections, was elected Speaker of the 2008 parliament.

The Passage of a Draft Law in the Parliament

According to the Constitution, the President of Georgia, a Parliamentary committee, a Parliamentary faction, a member of the parliament, the supreme representative bodies of Abkhazia and Ajaria, or not less than 30,000 electors have the right to initiate legislation.

Parliamentary committees and the President are the chief initiators of legislative proposals in Georgia . A draft law, prepared on the committee or received through legislative initiative, is discussed at a meeting of the relevant committee. The draft, with the view of the committee or explanatory note attached, is passed on to other Parliamentary committees and factions. It is published in the "Parliamentary Reports", a special issue of the Parliament.

Before the committee decides to submit the draft law to the plenary session it arranges a committee reading. The reading is conducted in public. Information about the committee reading is disseminated through the mass media by the Parliamentary Press-Center, at least 7 days in advance. If the committee decides that the draft is ready for discussion at the plenary meeting, it is passed on to the Staff of the Parliament. The latter sees to it that the draft is put on the agenda of the Bureau. When the draft is initiated by the President of Georgia, the supreme representative bodies of Abkhazia and Ajaria, or a constituency, the Parliamentary Bureau refers the draft to the relevant committee.

The Parliament considers the draft law in three readings.

First reading - At the first reading of the draft its general principles and main propositions are discussed. If the draft passes the first reading, it is sent to the relevant committee (committees), with all the remarks to be taken into consideration.

Second reading - The draft - revised and discussed with account of the remarks made by the Parliament - is submitted to a Parliamentary session for the secondreading. At the second reading the draft is discussed by sections, chapters, clauses or parts of clauses, each being put to the vote.

Third reading - For the third reading the members of Parliament are supplied with versions of the draft. They may introduce only editorial remarks, afterwhich the draft law, passed by the Parliament, is submitted to the President of Georgia, who signs it into law and has it published. The law is published in an official organ, entering into force on the 15th day from publication, unless some other term is indicated in the law.

Period of sessions

The Parliament meets twice a year: for the spring and autumn sessions. The spring session opens on the first Tuesday of February and closes on the last Friday of June. The autumn session opens on the first Tuesday of September and closes on the third Friday of December.

The Parliamentary session is planned for a fortnightly cycle, made up of plenary and committee sittings. The first week is given to plenary sessions, while the second to committee work and meeting with constituencies.

Groups

National Movement - Democrats

Democratic Front

The Right Opposition

Majoritarians

Regions of Georgia

Independent Majoritarians

References

1. RFE/RL Newsline, November 13, 2001.

External links

• Parliament of Georgia
• Parliament of Georgia in English