Georgian Parliament discusses President’s veto on transparency law at plenary session amid protests

The Georgian Parliament on Tuesday started discussions of the veto on the controversial law on transparency of foreign influence by the country’s President Salome Zourabichvili at a plenary session, on the backdrop of ongoing public protests.

Media reports said Parliament would discuss Zourabichvili’s remarks for the veto, which said the law failed to correspond to the Constitution of Georgia, the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the constitution, as well as the process of the country's European integration.

The law requires 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.

Its adoption by the Parliament has been followed by public protests and criticism from Georgia’s foreign partner states.

Zourabichvili last week vetoed the law, but the ruling party has enough votes in the Parliament to override the veto.