The President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, has declined to sign the legislative package titled “On Family Values and Protection of Minors,” returning it to Parliament.

The package was submitted without accompanying remarks from the president, indicating that she neither endorsed nor vetoed the draft law.

In this situation, further discussions in Parliament are not necessary. Instead, the package will be signed by the Chairman of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, who has a five-day deadline to do so.

For context, the Parliament adopted the draft law On Family Values and Protection of Minors in its third reading on September 17, forwarding it to the president for signature. This legislation addresses matters related to marriage, adoption, and foster care for minors, along with stipulations concerning medical interventions for gender assignment, state-issued gender documentation, education, information dissemination, public assembly, and labour relations, all while disregarding biological sex. The package also sets forth enforcement mechanisms for the law’s implementation.

Additionally, the draft law establishes May 17 as a day dedicated to honouring family sanctity and respecting parents. According to the legislation, marriage is defined as a voluntary union between two individuals of different biological sexes for family formation in compliance with Georgian law. It prohibits the registration of other types of unions as marriage or their recognition as marriage through legal acts.