Parliament acted by “will of Georgian people”, created legal basis for “strengthening state sovereignty” - PM on overriding veto on transparency law

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday claimed that by overriding President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto on the controversial law on transparency of foreign influence earlier today, the Parliament of Georgia - the highest representative body elected by the Georgian people - had acted in accordance with the will of people and created the “most important” legal basis for “strengthening the state sovereignty”.

At the press briefing, held in the Government Administration, Kobakhidze alleged “more than 80 percent” of the Georgian society supported the transparency of foreign influence and “more than 60 percent” supported the law, which calls for the registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.

In the past few days, it has been proved once again that there is no [legal] argument against the law. [...] We remind you that the transparency law stipulates only one thing - the annual submission of a declaration by [non-governmental] organisations that are carrying out the interests of a foreign power”, the PM noted.

He thanked the MPs, who supported the law and thereby “pursued the national interests of Georgia, its independence and sovereignty”, and stressed the adoption of the legislative piece would contribute to the implementation of the European Union’s recommendation - depolarisation.

Therefore, the transparency law will create a better basis for ensuring Georgia's accession to the EU. [...] By 2030, Georgia will be better prepared than all candidate countries for joining the EU, and the country will become a member of the bloc with dignity, independence, freedom and sovereignty”, the Head of the Government said.

Kobakhidze emphasised that the forces that planned to “take advantage of non-transparency and organise a revolution in Georgia, [and] open a second front of Ukraine’s war” in the country were disappointed with the endorsement of the law, as the transparency law would “effectively” ensure to “avoid such [revolutionary] scenarios [in the country]”.

The PM also pointed out that Georgian citizens had a right to know “who is financed by whom in this country, [and] who carries the positive or negative interests of a foreign power in Georgia”, adding that transparency would protect the society from “any attempts to violate the sovereignty of Georgia”.

There have been two attempts to organise a revolution by “radical parties, NGOs and the media” in the last four years, he claimed, stressing the need for stability and not radicalisation.