Georgians rally to celebrate the country's European Union candidate status in Tbilisi on December 15, 2023. (File Photo)

Georgia is set to pass a controversial bill which says that a 20 per cent and more of foreign funding in media and no-governmental organisations would force them to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power”. There is fierce opposition to the bill which is being described as the Russian law because Russian President Vladimir Putin had passed a similar law to tackle Kremlin’s critics.

Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili, who had become president with the support of the ruling party, Georgian Dream, has said that she will veto the bill. But the ruling party is pressing as the bill has crossed the second reading – a bill goes through stages, the first is that of introduction of the bill, the second is that of the clause-by-clause reading of the bill, and the third stage is that of the final reading and voting on the bill – in the Parliament, and it has been passed by 83 to 23 margin. It is likely to be passed into law. If President Zourabichvili vetoes it as she has threatened to do so, the ruling party can have it signed by the speaker of Parliament for it to become law.

The passing of the bill, which is seen as threatening media freedoms, could jeopardise Georgia’s membership of the European Union. The EU has approved Georgia’s candidate status for membership in December. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, wrote on X, the social media platform, “The Georgian people want a European future for their country. Georgia is at a crossroads. It should stay the course on the road to Europe.” The ruling party is arguing that there are similar laws in European countries, and that they have borrowed the idea essentially from a 1938 American law. But the Western countries, including the US, see the proposed Georgian legislation as an anti-democratic measure. This law seems to be intended to silence the domestic critics of the ruling party.

And it is quite likely that foreign investments in media for commercial reasons will be interpreted as something ominous. The ruling party says that the legislation is a bid to increase transparency. The founder of the party and billionaire Bidzina Ivianshvili says that Georgia must defend its sovereignty against Western powers’ attempts to dictate to it.

But the internal opposition – popular and political — is intense despite the fact that the opposition parties are not united like the ruling party, Georgian Dream. Tinatin Akhvlediani, research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies, explains: “There is…no unified opposition that people trust, and Georgian Dream is known for vote-buying practices, abusing their administrative powers, particularly in the regions and threatening people they will lose their jobs if they do not vote for Georgian Dream.”

Georgian Dream founder Ivanishvili, while attacking the protesters as “pseudo-elite nurtured by a foreign country”, said that despite everything, “having overcome these difficulties, with sovereignty and dignity intact, in 2030, Georgia will join the EU.” Akhvlediani says “Georgian Dream keeps the people confused – saying often that Georgia will become member of the EU and at the same time ignoring the conditions presented by Brussels – many voters think we are on the right path.”

It shows that Georgian Dream maintains an ambiguous stand, through legislation like the “foreign influence” while asserting that Georgia will become a member of the EU. The EU leaders are quite firm that the stance of Georgian Dream will close the EU door on Georgia. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said, “We’re deeply concerned about this legislation – what it could do in terms of stifling dissent and free speech.”