Georgia Parliament Overrules President’s Veto On Foreign Agents Bill

TBILISI: The parliament of Georgia voted to override a presidential veto of a bill on “foreign agents” on Tuesday.

The rejection of President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto allows the Speaker to sign the bill into law soon.

The Bill stipulates that any organisation that receives over 20% of its funding from overseas must register as “agents of foreign influence.” It also introduces onerous disclosure requirements and punitive fines for violations.

The Georgian government says the bill promotes transparency,  and checks a Western plot to drag Georgia into a war with Russia.

Thousands of opponents of the bill gathered outside the fortress-like parliament building during voting on Tuesday. These demonstrations are the largest in Georgia since it became independent after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.

Large numbers of riot police were deployed around the parliament building. They have used teargas, pepper spray and water cannons against protesters in recent weeks.

‘Russian Law’

Protester Giorgi Amzashvili said lawmakers who voted to overrule the president were “the most treacherous people in our history”.

The United States, Britain and the European Union have criticised the bill. Georgian opposition groups have dubbed it “the Russian law.” They say it is modelled on Russian  legislation used to target opponents of President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin.

Russia is unpopular among many Georgians for its support of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Public opinion  in Georgia is broadly supportive of EU and NATO memberships.

The US has threatened to sanction Georgian officials who vote for the bill. The EU said it “deeply regrets” the vote and was “considering all options to react to these developments.”

The Georgian government, which says it still wants to join the EU, has accused Western countries of blackmail over their opposition to the bill.

Russia denies any role in backing the bill, which it has defended from Western criticism.

(REUTERS)