Speaker of Georgian Parliament Addresses OSCE/ODIHR and Venice Commission
On October 10, to request a joint urgent opinion on the legislative revisions proposed by the Parliamentary working group on election reforms, Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Parliament, addressed the OSCE/ODIHR and Venice Commission.
According to the Parliament Speaker's letter, the Central Election Commission (CEC), the State Audit Office, and civil society organizations were included in the legislative working group on revising the electoral law established under the Legal Affairs Committee.
According to MP Papuashvili, the OSCE/ODIHR, Venice Commission, and the Council of Europe's anti-corruption organization, GRECO, have already given suggestions and stated in the letter that the proposed legislation revisions mirrored their recommendations.
Earlier, on September 14, Caucasus Watch reported that a surveillance measure that President Zourabichvili vetoed on June 22 was signed by Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament. The Speaker asserted that neither the Venice Commission, the President, nor any actor claimed that this law conflicts with any European law, adding that it is exceptional when the President does not sign the measure despite being overruled. "There is no reason not to sign the bill in this situation if the Parliament, as the highest legislative body, supports its decision and does not share the words [by the president]," he said.