Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili welcomed the decision of the Parliament to reduce the number of parliamentarians from the current 235 to 150, referring to it as “historic”

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili welcomed the decision of the Parliament to reduce the number of parliamentarians from the current 235 to 150, referring to it as “historic.” “I am glad that the Georgian Parliament, all the factions, supported the reduction of MPs from current the 235 to 150… Georgia has a Parliament, which listens to its own people,” Saakashvili said at a special news briefing on February 17. A majority of the Georgian citizens voted for a reduction of the number of MPs at the referendum in November, 2003. With a 203 to 1 vote today, the Georgian Parliament endorsed a constitutional amendment over downsizing number of MPs. According to this amendment 100 MPs will be elected through a proportional, party-list system, while 50 MPs will be elected in single-mandate constituencies. The amendment will apply to the next Parliament, which will be convened in 2008.