The Georgian Parliament has approved, in the first reading, a bill that removes the mandatory participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the public decision-making process.
During a plenary session, ruling party lawmakers reviewed the proposed amendments to the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, which, if enacted, would eliminate the requirement for NGOs to be involved in decision-making processes regulated by parliamentary procedures.
David Matikashvili, Chairman of the Procedural Issues and Rules Committee, presented the bill. He argued that most NGOs in Georgia were funded by foreign entities and often acted in the interests of their financiers rather than the country’s national interests.
“The clearest example of this is the so-called USAID scandal, which emerged after Donald Trump came to power in the United States. It was revealed that not only USAID but other foundations as well had been financing protests and revolutions against democratically elected governments through NGOs in various countries,” Matikashvili stated.
According to the proposed legislation, NGOs and civil society organizations will still have the right to participate in discussions on issues of interest to them, but their involvement in decision-making will no longer be mandatory.
Additionally, the bill introduces changes to the procedure for electing members of the Central Election Commission (CEC). Under the new rules, a CEC candidate will be considered elected if they receive the support of three-fifths of the total parliamentary composition.
The bill was supported by 84 MPs in the first reading.
