(civil) - The Georgian Parliament passed with 168 to 12 votes with its first hearing on December 14 a package of constitutional amendments envisaging simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections, to be held between October 1 and December 31, 2008.
The amendments also deal with the President's revised role in the judiciary system. According to the document, the President will no longer be the Chairman of the Justice Council a body overseeing the judiciary system. Instead, the Chairman of the Supreme Court will serve as a chair of the Justice Council. As a result the President will no longer have the right to sack or appoint judges, reports Trend.
Opposition lawmakers were against setting new dates for the elections, but they did support the initiative to revise the President's competencies in the judiciary.