Georgian parliament overrides presidential veto of the divisive foreign influence bill

The president now has five days to endorse the bill.

Demonstrators gather during an opposition protest against the foreign influence bill at the Parliamentary building in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. The Georgian parliament has overridden a presidential veto of the "foreign agents" legislation that has fueled Western concerns and sparked massive protests for weeks. (AP Photo)

The Georgian parliament on Tuesday overrode a presidential veto of the “foreign agents” legislation that has fuelled Western concerns and sparked massive protests for weeks.

The legislature, controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party, dismissed President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto of the legislation that she and other critics say will restrict media freedom and obstruct Georgia’s chances of joining the European Union.

The president now has five days to endorse the bill. If she doesn’t do so, the parliament speaker will sign it into law.

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The bill that was approved by the parliament earlier this month requires media, nongovernmental organisations and other nonprofit groups to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad.

Also Read | Georgian parliament committee rejects presidential veto of the divisive ‘foreign agents’ legislation

Zourabichvili, who is increasingly at odds with the governing party, vetoed the bill on May 18. She has accused the governing party of jeopardising the country’s future and “hindering the path toward becoming a full member of the free and democratic world.”

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