Georgian PM claims President’s veto on transparency law “blocks opportunity for healthy discussions”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday said President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto on the domestic law on transparency of foreign influence “without legal remarks” was “blocking all space for a healthy discussion” around the legislative piece with international partners.

In his remarks over the matter, Kobakhidze claimed opponents of the law were “avoiding discussions as much as possible”.

Our proposal to international partners was to use the veto procedure to reconcile positions - however, Salome Zourabichvili rudely vetoed the law, thus, unfortunately, blocking the space for a healthy discussion”, he said.

He also claimed sociological research showed over 60 percent of citizens supported the law, with more than 80 percent endorsing a broader idea of transparency for non-governmental organisations.

The Parliament on Tuesday adopted the law, which requires groups “considered to be an organisation pursuing the interests of a foreign power” to be registered in the public registry with the status and publicise their received funding.

The legislative piece was supported by 84 MPs in the 150-member lawmaking body, with 30 voting against it.

Zourabichvili on Saturday vetoed the law on the backdrop of ongoing public protests and criticism from Georgia’s foreign partner states against the law.