TBILISI, Georgia — The speaker of Georgia's parliament says President Mikhail Saakashvili has signed a constitutional amendment that removes from the president the power of naming a new government without the parliament's approval.
The parliament unanimously passed the legislation earlier in the week and Saakashvili signed it on Wednesday, said speaker David Usupashvili.
Saakashvili’s United National Movement lost October’s elections to the Georgian Dream coalition led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who became prime minister. Since then, the two have been locked in a tense power struggle. But after months of wrangling, pro-Saakashvili legislators joined the majority to vote for limiting presidential powers.
The measure signed Wednesday also says the president cannot dismiss parliament in the period from May until presidential elections in October.
