Georgian parliamentary committee rejects president’s veto of ‘foreign influence’ bill

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Georgian parliamentary committee on Monday rejected President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto of the country's “foreign influence” bill.

The parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee supported overriding Zourabichvili’s veto of the bill "On Transparency of Foreign Influence,” Georgia’s public broadcaster 1TV reported.

The issue will be put to a vote in the parliament’s next plenary session on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, the Georgian parliament adopted by a majority vote in the third and final reading the bill, which has been opposed by the US and EU.

The bill requires organizations, including media outlets, which receive more than 20% of their funding from overseas, to register with the state. It also requires them to publish annual financial reports.

The bill, which was first introduced in March 2023, was shelved after it triggered mass protests that resulted in the arrest of 66 people and the injury of more than 50 law enforcement officers but was reintroduced to parliament early last month, reigniting the protests.

Critics say the bill would undermine democracy, labeling it as a "Russian law," but members of the ruling majority argue it would increase transparency.

On May 18, Zourabichvili declared that she vetoed the bill. However, the country's ruling Georgian Dream party can override the president's veto by collecting 76 votes, after which the parliament speaker can sign the bill into law.