Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has refused to sign into law a bill approved by parliament last month that rights groups and many opposition politicians say drastically curbs the rights of the country's LGBT community.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has refused to sign into law a bill approved by parliament last month that rights groups and many opposition politicians say drastically curbs the rights of the country’s LGBT community.
The so-called “family values” bill was pushed through parliament by the ruling Georgian Dream party on September 17 in an 84-0 vote, which was boycotted by the opposition while rallies were being held by protesters outside the parliament building.
In line with the provisions of the Georgian Constitution, Zurabishvili refused to endorse the bill and returned it to parliament without written comments, the presidential administration **confirmed **to RFE/RL on October 2.
The move highlights the dramatically polarized political landscape in the Caucasus nation ahead of national elections in October.
Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili, a co-sponsor of the bill and member of the Georgian Dream is now expected to sign the bill into law and publish it within five days.
Zurabishvili vetoed that bill, but the ruling party overrode her opposition and promulgated it
I don’t know anything about Georgia’s political system. How can the parliament speaker sign the bill into law without the president? How can the government override her opposition? With a super strong majority?
I don’t know anything about Georgia’s political system. How can the parliament speaker sign the bill into law without the president? How can the government override her opposition? With a super strong majority?
The president just doesn’t have that much power in Georgia, the presidential veto is basically ceremonial