The part of the domestic opposition and legal professionals on Thursday responded to the ruling Georgian Dream party’s statement over the withdrawal of the foreign agents bill, expressing doubt the GD could “win time” by the move and later re-raise the bill.
Legal professionals said “it was impossible” to recall a bill that was approved with its first reading, saying it was necessary for the GD to announce the second reading and reject the bill by voting.
As for the second bill on foreign agents that has not been voted on so far, they said all authors must sign its withdrawal.
The People’s Power movement composed of former members of the ruling party who still remain in the parliamentary majority last month proposed two bills on foreign agents.
One of the two bills that envisage the registration of domestic NGOs and media organizations as foreign agents if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad, was approved with its first reading earlier this week, amid large-scale domestic protests and the backlash of the international community.
In its statement on the withdrawal of the bill, the GD accused the “radical wing of the domestic opposition” of portraying the legal piece as a “Russian law” and “misleading the public”.
The party stressed “as the emotional background subsides, we will better explain to the public what the bill was for and why it was important to ensure transparency of foreign influence in our country”, adding to ensure that goal “we will start meetings with the population and let the general public know the truth about each and every detail of the topic. Georgia will maintain peace and stability and continue moving towards Europe with dignity, which is the principle choice of the country’s people”
The part of the opposition claimed the GD could “cheat” the public like in 2019, when it promised the introduction of a fully propranolol electoral system in face of large rallies sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament.
Later the GD rejected the responding bill.
