Wednesday, May 29 2024 12:35

ArmInfo. Georgia's MPs have voted to overturn a presidential veto on a contentious "transparency  on foreign influence" bill - often dubbed the "foreign agents law" - which has sparked several weeks of protests in the capital Tbilisi, the BBC reports. 

Under the legislation, media and non-governmental organisations that  receive over 20% of their funding from abroad will have to register  as "organisations acting in the interest of a foreign power", submit  themselves to stringent audits, or face punitive fines.

A plenary session on Tuesday saw the vote pass with 84 votes for -  mainly from the governing Georgian Dream party - versus four votes  against, with the opposition abstaining.

Thousands of Georgians protested outside parliament on Tuesday  evening, many waving Georgian and EU flags.

The law had already been passed on 14 May, but was then vetoed by  pro-Western President Salome Zourabishvili.

The law is expected to come into force in 60 days' time.

The Georgian government argues it will ensure transparency of money  flowing to support NGOs and protect Georgia from foreign  interference.

But its opponents - who have dubbed it "Russian law" because of its  similarities with an existing law in Russia - believe the real reason  for the legislation is to stifle dissent ahead of October's  parliamentary elections.

The EU said it "deeply regretted" the Georgian parliament's decision.

EU officials had previously warned the bill could jeopardise further  progress within the bloc. Georgia was granted candidate country  status in December 2023.

Many NGOs have already announced they will not abide by legislation  that requires them to state they are "acting in the interest of a  foreign power" as they say it is "insulting" and "factually  incorrect".

On Tuesday, as MPs debated the bill, people again gathered outside  parliament amid a heavy police presence.

When the result of the vote was announced, many protesters shouted  "slaves!" and "Russians!"

Since the protests began, police have repeatedly used force to  disperse the protesters.

Dozens of opponents of the foreign agents law have reported being  beaten up or intimidated, with insulting posters stuck outside their  homes or threatening phone calls.

Still, more than six weeks since the start of the protests,  demonstrators - many of them young - feel there is no option other  than to continue taking to the streets.

"Our whole future is stake, it's either Europe or nothing,"  18-year-old Kato said as she stood outside the parliament with her  friends.

Observers believe passing the foreign agents law has turned into a  battle for survival for Georgian Dream, which has managed to alienate  many of its traditional partners in the process.

The US joined the EU in warning the law would entail consequences.  The US State Department said last week that travel restrictions would  be imposed on those who "undermine democracy" in Georgia, as well as  their family members.

But the authorities brushed the warnings off. The Secretary General  of Georgian Dream, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, said there would  never be a "trade-off" against the interests of the country.

Knowing that she had run out of options to stop the government from  passing the bill, on Monday Ms Zourabishvili presented a new charter  which she said would be a plan to move Georgia towards Europe.

"To rebuild trust, we need a new political reality: a distinct unity,  different elections, a different parliament, and a different  government," she wrote on X.

The charter includes the abolition of laws which she said were  harming Georgia's chances of EU membership, as well as significant  reforms designed to depoliticise the justice system and security  services.

Ms Zourabishvili invited all opposition parties to sign the charter  before 1 June and go united into parliamentary elections in October.