During a plenary session, Parliament supported the draft of its new Rules of Procedure in the first reading, by a vote of 80 in favour. The draft was introduced by the Speaker of Parliament.

As the rapporteur explained, the current version of the Rules of Procedure was adopted in 2018 and has undergone numerous amendments. According to the Speaker, the existing rules require refinement, prompting the development of a new draft: “The Rules of Procedure is a law signed by the Speaker of Parliament and does not require the President’s signature. This stems from the principle of parliamentary sovereignty. Parliament determines its own procedures, and naturally, each new convocation should set its own rules. Notably, 90% of the text remains unchanged”.

The proposed draft aims to streamline the Rules by consolidating procedural tools related to legislative work, oversight, and other functions, while eliminating redundancies that existed in the current version.

Unlike the current Rules, which are divided into chapters and articles, the new draft is structured into 10 sections and 31 chapters.

The draft clarifies procedures for convening the first session of a newly elected Parliament, in line with the Constitution. Specifically, the first session must be held no later than 10 days after official announcement of election results, as scheduled by the President of Georgia. If the President fails to set the date, Parliament convenes on the tenth day automatically.

“This is a significant and principled issue relating to constitutional powers. Parliamentary sovereignty dictates that no other institution may interfere with recognising Parliament’s mandate—except for the Central Election Commission. This principle is a cornerstone of parliamentary sovereignty”, - said Shalva Papuashvili.

The draft also introduces changes to committee names: The Agrarian Issues Committee becomes the Agriculture Committee; The Sector Economy and Economic Policy Committee becomes the Economic Policy Committee; The Defence and Security Committee becomes the Defence and Safety Committee; The Diaspora and Caucasus Issues Committee becomes the Diaspora Committee; The Regional Policy and Self-Government Committee becomes the Regional Policy Committee; The Rules and Procedural Issues Committee becomes the Procedural Issues Committee.

Furthermore, the obligation for committees to meet is adjusted: each committee must now hold at least one session per month instead of two. The draft eliminates the "thematic inquiry" mechanism, transferring its functions to interim commissions and working groups.

Under the new version, plenary sessions will be held between 12:00 and 21:00. However, Parliament may decide to extend a session beyond 21:00 to conclude discussions on pending items. The draft also sets rules for conducting political debates.

One article establishes a formal mechanism for legislative proposals, allowing Georgian citizens to directly participate in the legislative process. Any proposal submitted to Parliament will be distributed to all members. Within one month, MPs may present a legislative initiative based on the proposal, naming the original author as its sponsor.

The draft significantly increases the frequency of interpellations, specifying that, except in exceptional cases, interpellations will be held weekly during plenary sessions.

“The Rules of Procedure is the law through which Parliament defines its own processes. It is therefore a matter of utmost responsibility to ensure that, on the one hand, procedures are efficient, and on the other, that all interests - those of the opposition as well as the majority - are respected to foster a collegial working environment”, - concluded Shalva Papuashvili.