Opposition politician Berdzenishvili: transparency bill can reveal substantial foreign funding across politics, NGOs

Opposition politician Levan Berdzenishvili has expressed concerns over the potential repercussions of a proposed bill aimed at increasing transparency regarding foreign influence within Georgia’s political landscape. Berdzenishvili, known for his critical stance toward the government, warned the adoption of this bill could disrupt the electoral process.

The bill, titled Transparency of Foreign Influence, was reintroduced to the legislative body by the parliamentary majority on Wednesday. Its main provision requires organizations receiving foreign funding to disclose their annual financial reports.

Speaking to the opposition-leaning Mtavari Arkhi TV channel, Berdzenishvili highlighted  the bill’s requirement for disclosure of foreign funding exceeding 20 percent could implicate a significant portion of both the political establishment and the NGO sector. He suggested that such revelations could undermine the integrity of the electoral process.

 

Berdzenishvili remarked, “If this bill is adopted, it could effectively exclude a considerable portion of political entities and NGOs from participating in elections due to their reliance on foreign funding. This scenario risks severely limiting the diversity of voices in our electoral processes.”