Ruling party MP claims agents bill will be rejected as part of mandatory procedures

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the parliament, on Thursday claimed the party would reject the controversial foreign agents bill following its withdrawal. 

The comment came following the opposition’s claims that the party could “cheat” the public in a bid to ease protests around the bill and then approve it, in the wake of the GD announcement early on Thursday to withdraw the draft law. 

Mdinaradze said the bill would be voted on with its second reading and rejected as part of mandatory procedures, as it was approved with its first reading earlier this week.

 

Shalva Papuashvili, the head of the parliament, also wrote a letter to the Venice Commision on Thursday and asked them to suspend drafting a legal opinion on the bill following its recall. 

 

“Unfortunately, the initiated regulations caused differences of opinion in Georgia’s society. False narratives and labelling misled citizens and reinforced confrontation”, said Papuashvili in the letter.