Parliament Committee Chair says President's anticipated veto on bill on transparency of foreign influence will be overcome if placed “without arguments”

Anri Okhanashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, on Monday said President Salome Zourabichvili’s anticipated veto on the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence would be overcome by the parliamentary majority if it was “formal” and placed “without arguments”.

Okhanashvili’s comments followed the Committee’s approval of  the bill, which calls for registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad, in its third and final reading on Monday against public protests.

The Committee Chair said “any criticism” of the draft law “should be based on arguments”.

Our stance is that if someone wants to change the content [of the bill] before the veto, we are ready to communicate [...] If the veto is formal, [and] missing the principle of transparency, whatever principle the bill is based on, it will be overcome”, he added.

“When you criticise something, and you do not like it, it should not be simply your subjective opinion - it should be an argument, a substantiation. Any criticism must be based on an argument”, the lawmaker also said.

The Parliament will vote on the bill within a plenary session on Tuesday. Zourabichvili on Sunday said she would veto the controversial legislative piece, however the ruling party has enough votes to override her veto.