Azernews.Az

TBILISI – Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on Wednesday submitted to parliament a draft of a new constitution that would significantly limit the power of the ex-Soviet state's next president.

"Today [Wednesday] President Saakashvili submitted to the parliament the draft of a new constitution," Saakashvili's spokeswoman Manana Manjgaladze told Agence France Presse.

Saakashvili – whose second and final term runs out in 2013 – initiated constitutional reform as part of a so-called "second wave" of democratic reform shortly after the 2008 war with Russia.

"It's a part of our democratic agenda to significantly improve checks and balances in the constitution. As a result, we will have a European-type constitution with better checks and balances," Manjgaladze said.

The draft envisages cutting the president's powers in favor of parliament and the prime minister.

The document was prepared and submitted to the presidency on Monday by an independent state commission comprised of the ruling United National Movement party, opposition politicians and prominent lawyers.

A month-long public discussion on the draft is required before the parliamentary vote. After serving the maximum two terms allowed under the constitution, Saakashvili will be unable to stand in 2013.

Saakashvili rose to power in the 2003 Rose Revolution that ousted the old Soviet elite and was immediately hailed by the West as a role model for democratic change in the former Soviet Union.

Opponents have accused the charismatic and multi-lingual Saakashvili of mishandling the conflict with Russia and becoming increasingly autocratic. But their attempts to force him to step down have been unsuccessful.

In 2004, at the dawn of his presidency, Saakashvili initiated constitutional amendments that considerably boosted his powers to the detriment of the legislative branch.