Georgia president vetoes ‘foreign agent’ law

The Georgian government’s plans to brand Western-funded NGOs, media outlets and campaign groups as “foreign agents” were rejected by the country’s president on Saturday, but the ruling party vows to pass them into law despite widespread public protests and international outcry.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital of Tbilisi on Saturday, President Salome Zurabishvili confirmed she had vetoed the bill — which was awaiting her signature after being passed in parliament earlier this week. Critics say the proposals, which would apply to organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad, are similar to ones used by the Kremlin to quash dissent in Russia.

“This law is, in its essence, in its spirit, a Russian law, which contradicts our constitution and all European standards, and is an obstacle to the European path,” Zurabishvili said.

“The veto is legally correct and will be submitted to the parliament today,” she added. “The law is not subject to any changes or improvements — this law should be abolished.”

MPs backed the legislation, introduced by the governing Georgian Dream party, by 84 votes to 30 on Tuesday, despite warnings from Brussels that the proposed law would effectively torpedo the South Caucasus country’s hopes of joining the EU. The European Commission awarded Georgia candidate status in December, despite warnings of backsliding on human rights and a failure to implement key reforms.

Zurabishvili had consistently pledged not to sign the legislation into law, as she has with several other key bills presented to her by Georgian Dream. However, her veto can be overridden by a simple majority vote in parliament — expected in the coming days.

Tens of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets in recent weeks demanding the proposed law be shelved permanently. Riot police with shields, tear gas and water cannon have charged peaceful protesters and swooped in to arrest organizers and opposition politicians.