Georgia’s parliament votes in support of 2nd reading on ‘foreign agents’ bill

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Georgian parliament on Wednesday voted in support of the country’s controversial “foreign agents” bill amid ongoing protests in the country’s capital Tbilisi.

At a plenary session, 105 Georgian lawmakers took part in the vote, out of which 83 voted in support of the bill while 23 voted against it, according to the country’s public broadcaster 1TV.

On Monday, the parliament’s legal affairs committee expressed its support for the second reading of the bill, which needs to pass three readings before it can be signed into law.

The country’s parliament approved the first reading during a plenary session on April 17.

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

The bill, first introduced in March 2023, was shelved after it triggered mass protests resulting in the arrest of 66 people and the injury of more than 50 law enforcement officers.

Last month, Mamuka Mdinaradze, the parliamentary leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said they will resubmit the draft legislation on the "transparency of foreign influence" to parliament.

Critics say the bill would undermine democracy and have labeled it as a "Russian law," but members of the ruling majority say it would boost transparency.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili also declared that she would veto the bill.

However, Georgian Dream can override the president's veto by collecting 76 votes, after which the country's parliament speaker can sign the bill into law.