Georgian premier criticizes president for vetoing 'foreign agents' bill

TBILISI, Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday criticized his President Salome Zourabichvili for vetoing the "foreign agents" bill adopted by parliament last Tuesday.

"Our proposal to our international partners was to use the veto procedure to reconcile our views, but Salome Zourabichvili harshly vetoed the law, closing all space for a healthy debate," Kobakhidze said at the beginning of a council of ministers meeting in the capital Tbilisi.

More than 80% of Georgian society demands that non-governmental organizations operate transparently in the country, with over 60% supporting the bill, Kobakhidze asserted.

On Saturday, Zourabichvili announced on X that she vetoed the bill, days after the Georgian parliament passed it in its third and final reading on May 14 amid protests.

However, the ruling Georgian Dream party can override the president's veto by obtaining 76 votes, after which the parliament speaker can legally sign the bill.

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.

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

*Writing by Burc Eruygur