Republic of Georgia Signs 'Foreign Influence' Bill into Law

Facts

• Shalva Papuashvili, the speaker of Georgia's parliament, signed a controversial 'foreign influence' bill into law on Monday, prompting widespread opposition.¹
• This comes a week after the legislature, led by the Georgian Dream party, dismissed a veto lodged by Pres. Salome Zourabichvili.²
• The legislation has sparked backlash from Georgia's Western allies, with Brussels warning that the move could interfere with the country's path to EU membership.³
• The law requires non-government organizations (NGOs) and media outlets that receive at least 20% of their funding from abroad to register as 'organizations pursuing the interests of a foreign power' within two months.⁴
• Multiple NGOs are reportedly planning to challenge the law and appeal to the country's constitutional court as well as the European Court of Human Rights.⁴
• The move propelled Georgia's opposition parties to begin signing up to a Zurabishvili-backed pro-European policy charter to create a unified coalition ahead of the October parliamentary elections.³

Sources: ¹Rome Sentinel, ²NPR Online News, ³NonStop Local Tri and ⁴RTE.ie.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Euronews. This law is a deliberate attempt at undermining democracy in Georgia. By modeling legislation after repressive policies in Russia, the country's politics are starting to slip worryingly close to those of its autocratic eastern neighbor. This move may negatively impact the progression of Georgia's attempts to gain EU membership.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by RT. This law isn't an attempt to make Georgia 'more Russian.' The legislation aims to prevent foreign interference of all kinds in Georgia's political, economic, and social systems. If foreign-funded organizations want to continue participating in these spheres of Georgian society, they must now comply with new transparency standards.

Predictions