The Georgian President, Salome Zourabcshvili, has vetoed the Russian Law on Foreign Agents. In a briefing, the President announced that the veto will be delivered to Parliament today.
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"Today, I vetoed the Russian Law. This law, in essence and spirit, is Russian, contradicting our constitution and all European standards, and it poses an obstacle on our path to Europe. The veto is legally correct and will be submitted to Parliament today.
The law is not open to any amendments or improvements. It must be repealed," said the President.
The Agents Law, which was vetoed by the President, has been returned to Parliament for reconsideration. To override the veto, the support of 76 MPs is required, and the parliamentary majority holds 83 votes. After overriding the veto, Parliament will re-vote on the original version of the bill. If the President does not sign the law again, the Parliament Chairman will sign it. Once published, the law will be deemed enacted.
"Many thanks to Salome Zourabichvili, who has finally confirmed that there are no comments or arguments against the Transparency Law. (Lawyers of different generations will long be discussing the invention of a new type of veto.) Regarding our constructive proposal, when foreign partners were involved in the veto procedure, she responded with refusal and destruction! The false project of the “Nazis”, wealthy NGOs, and their supporters against transparency and sovereignty - the "no to Russian Law" - has failed!" - this is how Mamuka Mdinaradze, the parliamentary majority leader, responded to the President's veto on social media.
Prior to this, on May 15, during a press conference held after a meeting with the foreign ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Iceland, Salome Zourabichvili stated that "by vetoing the Russian Law, she would not engage in any fake, artificial, or deceptive negotiations."
"No one should assume that the Georgian President can be used to save face for this government. This is not a question for today. Today, the issue at stake is the survival of Georgia," the President said.
Last year, as a result of thousands of protests and unprecedented international pressure, Georgian Dream withdrew the Russian Law on so-called Foreign Agents and promised that it would never be brought back for consideration. However, over a year later, on April 3, 2024, the ruling party re-initiated the Russian Law in parliament, and on May 14, it passed the third and final reading. The authorities did not take into account the warnings of international partners or the demand of continuous mass protests in the country to withdraw the law unconditionally.
The Russian Law requires independent media and non-governmental organizations that receive grant support from international funds to register as Foreign Agents. It prohibits government or related groups from controlling or limiting criticism. According to the law, failure to register as an agent can result in a fine of 25 000 GEL and other punitive measures, potentially leading to the disappearance of independent organizations.
Georgian Dream also included in the final version of the law that individuals will be obliged to provide requested information to the Justice Ministry. The Ministry can request data related to a person's political views, religious or philosophical beliefs, health status, and sex life. Failure to provide the requested information can result in a fine of 5000 GEL.
