In a move likely to disrupt many Georgians’ EU ambitions while tightening bonds with Moscow, Georgia’s parliamentary body has successfully overridden the president’s veto on the contentious ‘foreign influence’ law. The disputed legislation, which mandates civil society entities and media who earn over a fifth of their income from overseas sources to register as “entities in the service of a foreign power,” initially got parliamentary backing earlier this month.
President Salome Zourabichvili subsequently vetoed the law, critiquing that it was drawn upon a Russian law from 2012 employed to target pro-western organisations. Regardless, on Tuesday, the parliamentary body, dominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party, voted to overturn her veto. This move sets the groundwork for the legislation to be formally enacted in the next few days. As the vote result was divulged, protesters—some hollering “Slaves!”—assembled outside the governmental chamber.
The EU has expressed concern that this law will hinder Georgia’s assimilation into the bloc—an ambition cherished by up to 80 per cent of its voters. The EU’s lamentation over the veto’s rejection and its contemplation of possible countermeasures were expressed in a statement released Tuesday evening. “The law that was passed by the Georgian parliament contravenes fundamental EU tenets and values,” it added.
Over a year ago, the EU granted Georgia candidate status, albeit making clear that it would need to materialise key policy recommendations for its membership application to advance. Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuanian foreign minister, reacted to Tuesday’s vote saying, “This is a sorrowful day for both Georgia and the rest of Europe. The implementation of this law essentially freezes Georgia’s EU integration, benefitting hardly anyone.”
The legal measures stirred hundreds of thousands to protest in Tbilisi, the capital, in recent months. The Georgian Dream party is accused by them of labelling dissidents as backstabbers and stifling Georgia’s EU hopefuls. Detractors are also concerned about the law potentially being exploited to limit discussions prior to the October parliamentary elections.
A protestor named Giorgi Amzashvili labelled legislators who overrode the president’s veto as the most unfaithful figures in Georgian history when speaking to Reuters. In his words, this was a dark moment for Georgia. This came on Tuesday, as the European Union’s foreign affairs head, Josep Borrell, repeated his previous warnings about a Georgia law targeting foreign agents posing a threat to future EU membership. He cautioned that the legislation could divert Georgia’s path to the European Union.
The United States echoed this sentiment, cautioning that the legislation coupled with anti-west attitudes from the government could cast Georgia as an enemy. This could lead to the withdrawal of billions in economic and military assistance. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State for the U.S., previously declared intent to enforce travel sanctions on officials undermining democracy in Georgia.
However, the Georgian Dream party stands behind the law, arguing it’s a necessary measure to counter damaging foreign elements attempting to destabilise the country of 3.7 million citizens. Shalva Papuashvili, parliament speaker from the ruling Georgian Dream party, expressed frustration at the rapid domestic and international criticism of the law in a letter penned last week to his European colleagues.
This new law and the surrounding controversy is a litmus test for the trajectory of Georgia, which used to be among the most western-leaning ex-Soviet republics. It seeks to ascertain whether the country is gravitating towards Russia. Head of Georgian Institute of Politics, Kornely Kakachia, noted that the law indicates escalating authoritarianism and depleted room for public discourse under the Georgian Dream Party.
The ruling party, particularly its founder Bidzina Ivanishvili who amassed his wealth in Russia in the 1990s, is unpopular among Georgians. They accuse the party of allegiance to Moscow, particularly because Russia was supportive of armed separatists in Abkhazia and South Ossetia during the past conflicts.
A significant number of Georgians have publicly supported Ukraine following the invasion by Russia and censured their own government for avoiding a direct rebuke of Moscow or the implementation of sanctions against Russia.