The Georgian parliament is expected to give final approval to the controversial law on “foreign agents” that sparked mass street protests, BBC reports.
Georgia’s parliament holds a plenary session on 14 May at which MPs will vote on the third and final reading of the bill. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has promised that the MPs will pass the bill.
Thousands of people gathered outside the parliament building to protest against the expected imminent passage of the law. Government officials and ruling party lawmakers said the bill would strengthen the country’s sovereignty. It would make non-governmental organisations, which play a central role in Georgia’s highly polarised political life, more transparent to the public.
On Monday, Kobakhidze also warned that if the authorities backtrack on the bill’s third reading, Georgia would lose its sovereignty and “easily share the fate of Ukraine,” without specifying exactly what he meant.
Upon entering the parliament building on Tuesday morning, President Salome Zourabichvili – an opponent of Kobakhidze – told the BBC she would veto the law. However, Georgian Dream has enough votes in parliament to override her.
Under the bill, which is due to pass its third and final reading, NGOs and independent media outlets that receive more than 20% of their funding from foreign donors would have to register as organisations “carrying the interests of a foreign power”.
On 7 March 2023, the first protests broke out in the Georgian capital Tbilisi over MPs passing the first reading of the foreign agents bill. According to the Interior Ministry, police detained 133 people during the protests. Georgian authorities later withdrew the bill from parliament.
Protesters are concerned that the government will use the legislation to suppress its opponents and will destroy Georgia’s hopes of joining the European Union.
