The Georgian Parliament overcame President Salome Zurabishvili's earlier veto of the law “On Foreign Influence”.
Eighty-four MPs voted in favor of overcoming the veto, four against. According to the Constitution, the law will now be handed over to the President of Georgia for signing, if she fails to do so within five days, the document will be signed and published by the Speaker of Parliament within five days.
Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, also representing the Georgian Dream, said that the adoption of the law on foreign agents is “in the interests of the Georgian people.”
Thousands of protesters against the adoption of the law on “foreign agents” have gathered outside the Georgian Parliament since this morning, as before. The police blocked all entrances to the buildings and cordoned off several nearby streets.
After the announcement of the results, the gathered protesters began shouting “Slaves!” and “No to the Russian law!” People also waved placards and flags of the country.
Anna Tsitlidze, an MP from the opposition United National Movement party, said the law on foreign agents will lead to many problems.
“We will close the way to the European Union, Georgia may be denied visa-free travel to Europe. It is quite obvious that Western countries will impose sanctions against us, which will directly affect Georgia's economy,” Interfax news agency quoted the MP as saying.
Yesterday, the Legal Committee of the Georgian Parliament did not support the position of the country's President Salome Zurabishvili, who on May 18 vetoed the law on “foreign agents” adopted by the Georgian Parliament on May 14. Thus, the committee allowed the parliament to start the procedure of overcoming the presidential veto.
The scandalous law provides for the creation of a register of “foreign agents,” which will list all nonprofit legal entities and media outlets funded from abroad by more than 20 percent.
