Georgian Parliament Asserts Power, Overrides Presidential Veto
On March 19, the Georgian Parliament decisively overturned Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto on amendments to the electoral code. With 78 MPs voting in favor of the override and only 13 against, the original amendments were adopted, disregarding the President’s reasoned objections.
During the plenary session, before the vote, Mamuka Mdinaradze, the leader of the parliamentary majority, asserted that the Parliament would not entertain any recommendations that undermine the country’s sovereignty. He emphasized, "We will not consider any conclusion of the Venice Commission or any other commission directed against Georgia, its democratic development, and sovereignty."
Notably, the amendments, initially passed by 81 votes in Parliament on February 20, were vetoed by the President on March 5. These changes alter the procedure for electing the Chair and non-partisan members ("professional members") of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and eliminate the position of deputy chair of the CEC, previously designated for an opposition representative.