Venice Commission

Georgia faces democratic test over proposed opposition party bans.

The Council of Europe's Venice Commission has warned that Georgia's laws could exclude politicians associated with banned opposition parties from elections and public office.

Its latest legal opinion raises concerns about political pluralism and electoral rights ahead of constitutional court hearings involving five opposition parties.

Georgia's governing party rejects the criticism, arguing that the legislation helps counter foreign interference.

Czarzasty said the Sejm's role was now over and that the time for the Tribunal to work normally and effectively was beginning.

He pointed to an opinion from the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's advisory body, published on Tuesday.

It says the oath is not subject to the president's discretion.

[speaking Polish]

All of this is happening today."

[speaking Polish]

The opinions of the Venice Commission are, however, not binding.

Outside the Tribunal, there were scuffles between police and protesters, among them nationalist activist Robert Bąkiewicz, leader of the Border Defense Movement, and, uh, politicians of the opposition Law and Justice Peace Party, including Antoni Macierewicz.

I bet it also protects the president's bank account as well as the members of the cabinet that are lining their pockets and making deals with foreign nations and getting, what was it, $300,000 to consider a criminal pardon? The only prior withdrawals in the body's history were Russia and Belarus.

The U.S. left the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's constitutional law body, in January and has withdrawn from WHO and the UN Human Rights Council.

The notice was filed the same week ProPublica documented that a Putin-linked oligarch paid for the president's son's wedding.

Five Republican senators asked for an inquiry and the judiciary chairman declined to schedule it.

We had judges.

We had experts from, from all, uh, relevant departments in the Council of Europe as a support for our endeavor and also from the various entities that are part of the framework of Council of Europe, like European Court of Human Rights and Venice Commission, but also the international partners.

We had the FATF, as I mentioned.

We had EU.