Ruling party official: “national interests come first” in Gov’t policymaking
The GD official stressed “informed choice” was “one of the main tools” for citizens to “force their Government to act according to national interest”. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
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Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said “national interests” “came first” in the Government’s decisions on policy, adding the ruling team “should only serve the interests of Georgia”.
In his comments about the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence - proposed by People's Power, a public movement established by former members of the ruling party - Mdinaradze said ensuring transparency served a “nuance” in an overall effort for “main challenges” facing the country.
The GD official stressed “informed choice” was “one of the main tools” for citizens to “force their Government to act according to national interest”.
National security and informed choice is one of the main tools of the citizens, not of the Government, that can be a leverage to ensure that their Government is forced to act according to national interests. We don't need to be forced, but it would be good if people had a leverage for it”, Mdinaradze said.
“We are facing a global challenge. [D]evelopment, national, physical, economic security are the main challenges, and one of the small nuances and links between them is to ensure transparency”, he noted.
Mdinaradze on Monday said the ruling team would support the bill, which envisages registration of “non-commercial legal entities and media outlets as agents of foreign influence if they derive more than 20 percent of their income from abroad”.
The draft has been slammed by the domestic opposition as “incompatible with the basic principles of a modern democratic state” and criticised by President Salome Zourabichvili.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, proposed by People's Power, a public movement established by former members of the party, was in “full accordance” with human rights standards “unlike its American and Russian analogues”.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the ruling team would support the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence proposed by People's Power, a public movement established by former MPs of the party.
People's Power, a public movement established by former MPs of the ruling Georgian Dream party who exited the team last year, on Monday said the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence had become a “target of unjustified criticism”, and called comparisons with laws in the United States and Russia “categorically unacceptable”.
Sozar Subari, a member of People’s Power, a public movement composed of the former ruling Georgian Dream party MPs who exited the team in June, on Thursday said “all those” who wanted to “revive” the opposition United National Movement party and “bring it to power” had “realised” it was “impossible” to do so and “now switched to open struggle”.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said there “could be no arguments from anyone” against the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, which has been proposed by People's Power, a public movement established by former MPs of the party, and caused public controversy over the recent days.
Sozar Subari, a member of People's Power - a public movement composed of former members of the ruling Georgian Dream party - on Wednesday said it was “impossible that what is good for American democracy turns out bad for Georgia”, in comments on the proposed controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence.