Georgian president vetoes ‘foreign influence’ law

Georgia’s president has vetoed the “Russian” law targeting media that has sparked weeks of mass protests.

The law would require media and non-governmental organisations to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. Critics of the bill say it closely resembles legislation used by the Kremlin to silence opponents and that it will obstruct Georgia’s efforts to join the EU.

MPs voted on Tuesday by 84 to 30 to back the adoption of the “foreign influence” law after 30 days of protests by hundreds of thousands of people in Tbilisi.

The president, Salome Zourabichvili, who is increasingly at odds with Georgia’s ruling party, said on Saturday that the law contradicted Georgia’s constitution and “all European standards”, and added that it “must be abolished”.

She had said earlier in the week that she considered the law “unacceptable”.

The ruling party, Georgian Dream, has a majority sufficient to override Zourabichvili’s veto and is widely expected to do so in the coming days.

The Georgian government insists the law is intended to promote transparency and curb what it deems harmful foreign influence in the country of 3.7 million people.

The Associated Press contributed to this report