Anri Okhanashvili, Chairman of the parliamentary Law Affairs Committee, said that the Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, did not question the legitimacy of the draft party financing bill approved by the parliament at the first reading.

According to Okhanashvili, the Commission shared the idea that opposition parties that do not engage in the parliament work should receive no full-fledged state financing.

The MP said the draft was sent to the Commission to learn about its viewpoints to improve the document.

According to opposition MP of Citizens party Aleko Elisashvili, no explanation from the Venice Commission was required to decide that if lawmakers refuse to take up MP mandates, they will not receive salaries.

Elisashvili also echoed the Commission’s evaluation of the draft-law concerning election registration lifting to political parties as ‘interference.’

Alisashvili said the ruling Georgian Dream was likely to consider the provided recommendations since the GD was looked at under the magnifying glass from the international community.

“The Georgian Dream has no luxury to tear the Venice Commission conclusion,” Elisashvili claimed.

Sergi Kapanadze, a member of the opposition European Georgia party, said the Venice Commission evaluated the draft as a harmful document.

“The authors of the draft bill should be ashamed of drafting it,” Kapanadze claimed. He added that the fairness principle is not protected in the reform.

“The Georgian Dream listens to nobody, but it is a fact that the Venice Commission disapproved the document. This is a punitive draft,” Sergi Kapanadze stated.

The Venice Commission recommended Georgian lawmakers to revise the Election Code, Political Unions and Parliament Regulations Law.