The President’s veto regarding amendments to the Election Code concerning gender quotas has been submitted to the Parliament. The Georgian Parliament Speaker announced during the Bureau session.

The matter has been referred to the Committee on Legal Issues for discussion to be presented to the plenary subsequently.

“We have received a veto regarding the amendments to the Election Code concerning gender quotas. This veto will be handed over to the Committee on Legal Affairs, which will review it during the upcoming plenary session,” stated Shalva Papuashvili.

The amendments to the Election Code, which entail the removal of mandatory gender quotas, were passed by Parliament in the third and final reading on April 4 with 85 votes for and 22 against.

Furthermore, under the proposed legislation, the minimum number of candidates for Parliament membership on a party list is reduced to 30 from the previous requirement of 60. The amendment is also included in the Organic Law On Political Unions of Citizens, which eliminates the mechanism providing additional financial incentives to parties for including women candidates in the lists in the appropriate proportion.

The bill, initiated by Girchi, was accepted by the Parliament in an accelerated manner.