From July 1, 2025, the President of Georgia will no longer hold the ceremonial authority to open the first session of a newly elected Parliament. A shift outlined in the draft rules of procedure for the 11th convocation Parliament now assigns this duty to the oldest elected MP.
Under the current ruling, the President inaugurates the first session after the elections, and the responsibility falls to the most senior MP if they are absent. However, the new procedures eliminate the President’s role entirely from this process.
The mentioned change comes in the frames of broader revisions planned for parliamentary procedures that will regulate various aspects of legislative operations in a new way, with the Parliament being expected to formally adopt the new rules in the coming months.
As the draft puts it, “the oldest Member of Parliament will open and preside over the first sitting until the election of the Speaker of Parliament.”
