Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has said she will veto the bill on foreign agents if it is adopted in three readings.
Zourabichvili told the BBC "I am indeed going to veto this law as I am vetoing all the other laws that go against the recommendations of the European Union."
However, according to Zourabichvili, she is certain that the parliamentary majority will override her veto. Yet, she argues that the veto should be used so that "the voice of the people could be heard."
Earlier on Wednesday, the Georgian parliament approved in the first reading a bill on foreign agents, which Zourabichvili, the opposition and Western diplomats are firmly against. They argue that it is an obstacle to the country's integration into the European Union. Eighty-three MPs voted in favor of the initiative.
The ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party announced in early April that it had decided to reintroduce the bill On the Transparency of Foreign Influence to parliament. This happened a year after a similar initiative triggered mass protests, forcing the authorities to abandon the bill. Its text remained identical to last year’s, except for the term "agent of foreign influence." Instead, the term "organization promoting the interests of a foreign power" is used.
