Less than a month after vetoing the foreign agent bill President Salome Zourabichvili again used her veto power to refuse the assent for amendment to the domestic election code. However the president gave her assent to bring the changes to the Anti-corruption law of Georgia and gave the signal to go ahead.
The president’s decision to veto the amendment to the domestic election code came just a day ago. These amendments were approved by the Georgian parliament which has the majority of the ruling party Georgian Dream.
The new changes to the election code were introduced to reduce the two-thirds quorum presently required to make any decision by the central election commission. However, the president saw these changes as inconsistent with Georgia’s legal provisons. According to the Presidential Administration the proposed amendment to the domestic election code if implemented as it is would “remove the need for consensus between parties.” Moreover this would also give the ruling Georgian Dream party an edge in making the decision which could be totally biased and unconstitutional.
On the other hand President Zourabichvili signed a package of amendments to the anti-corruption laws. These amendments also received the approval of the Georgian Parliament last month. However the president commented that these amendments are not enough and can not meet the “concrete requirements” outlined by the European Commission last year.
She further stated that this will also not promote the effectiveness of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The need to make a proposal that can accelerate the institutional strengthening, independence, and impartiality of the anti-corruption bureau is urgent.
It is also to be specifically mentioned that the office of the president further stated that “ the main objective to maintain the independence of the Bureau and the process to bringing systemic reform of the CEC code would be well served with the implementation of the charter, which was proposed by Zourabichvili and signed by the domestic opposition representative earlier this month.
The President has already vetoed the controversial foreign agent bill that makes the registration of NGOs that receive more than twenty percent of their funding from any foreign country mandatory.
