Opposition parties have in recent years accused the Georgian Dream of pursuing pro-Russian policies while claiming to be Western-oriented. The party’s opponents charge that its founder, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili who made his fortune in Russia, has continued calling the shots in the Black Sea nation of 3.7 million, even though he currently doesn’t hold a government job.
The party has repeatedly denied any links to Russia or leaning towards it.
Though they agreed to withdraw the bill, the Georgian Dream party and its allies alleged that public opinion had been misled about the proposal.
Protesters with Georgian national flags rally against a draft law aimed at curbing the influence of “foreign agents” near the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi.Credit:AP
“The bill was labelled falsely as a ‘Russian law’ and its adoption in the first reading was presented in the eyes of a part of the public as a departure from the European course,” lawmakers said.
The proposed law did appear similar to one enacted in Russia in 2012 that has been used to shut down or discredit organisations critical of government.
The Georgian bill’s authors said it would make clear when the work of entities is financed by representatives of foreign states — but opponents saw it as a step toward introducing the same heavy-handed tactics that Russian President Vladimir Putin has used to crack down on dissent.
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Two European Parliament members who handled the body’s relations with Georgia, Maria Kaljurand and Sven Mikser, indicated that concerns the controversial bill could harm Georgia’s EU prospects were well-founded. The proposed law “goes directly against the Georgian authorities’ declared ambition to receive candidate status for EU membership,” they said.
Ruling politicians began to back off the bill on Wednesday evening, as tens of thousands of people took to the streets. They announced that Thursday’s discussions of the proposal would be cancelled, and Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili asked for the measure to be assessed by the Venice Commission. The commission advises the Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights body, on constitutional matters.
The EU delegation in Georgia welcomed the announcement of the withdrawal on Thursday, as did Khatia Dekanoidze, a parliament member from the pro-Western United National Movement party. She said that “our children managed to achieve this.”
Reuters
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