Ruling party MP claims presence of European lawmakers at rally against transparency law aimed at “strengthening domestic radical opposition”

Givi Mikanadze, an MP for the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday claimed presence of the chairs of foreign affairs committees of parliaments of five European countries at a rally against the law on transparency of foreign influence in Tbilisi on Tuesday had been aimed at “strengthening positions of the domestic radical opposition”.

“The preliminary statements made by these people before their visit [to Georgia] clearly indicated that they voice a subjective, one-sided position, and all this served to strengthen positions of the radical opposition. Their presence at the rally yesterday was another clear confirmation of this”, Mikanadze said.

The lawmakers from the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Lithuania and Finland addressed participants of the rally, as the Parliament adopted the bill reintroduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party on the backdrop of ongoing public protests.

The legislative piece, 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, was supported by 84 MPs in the 150-member lawmaking body, with 30 voting against.

It requires groups “considered to be an organisation pursuing the interests of a foreign power” to be registered in the public registry with the status and publicise their received funding.

President Salome Zourabichvili on Sunday said she would veto the legislative piece, however the ruling party has enough votes to override her veto in the Parliament.