17 August 2010, 22:00
Amendments in Georgian Constitution presented to the MoD
Today, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Georgia received the offered amendments to the national Constitution, according to which although the President will lose his right to appoint ministers but will preserve the title of Commander-in-Chief and the right to form the top management of the Joint Staff.
In the opinion of Nodar Kharshiladze, deputy minister of defence, it was not quite reasonable to subordinate the MoD to Prime Minister, and the Joint Staff - to President. "President remains Commander-in-Chief, he forms the Joint Staff and, consequently, it would be logical to vest him with the right to issue the statutory acts needed for daily operation of the Joint Staff."
A military expert Irakli Sesiashvili believes that subordination of the MoD to Government, and the Joint Staff - to President will not create any mess as "we have two different issues here: managing army in peace time and during a crisis or a war."
The new draft Constitution upholds the existing provision, under which President has the right to announce martial law without taking into account the opinion of the government.
Author: Beslan Kmuzov Source: CK correspondent
