INTUSK MAGAZINE

Georgia’s parliament has voted to override a presidential veto on the controversial “foreign influence” law, a move that is poised to derail the EU aspirations of many Georgians in favour of closer ties with Moscow.

The controversial measure was passed by the parliament earlier this month. It mandates that media outlets and civil society groups that obtain more than 20% of their income from outside the country register as "organizations serving the interests of a foreign power."

Salome Zourabichvili, the president, later rejected the measure, which she and other opponents claim is based on a 2012 Russian bill intended to stifle pro-Western organizations.

However, the governing Georgian Dream party-controlled parliament voted on Tuesday to override her veto, paving the way for the speaker to sign the bill into law in the upcoming day or two. On Tuesday night, thousands of bill opponents demonstrated in front of the parliament building while holding up EU and Georgian flags.

Georgian Dream party members have supported the bill, arguing that it is necessary to stop what they see to be malicious foreign forces attempting to disrupt the 3.7 million-person nation in the South Caucasus.