The Parliament of Georgia rejected the bill on «foreign agents» in the second reading. This is reported by the Georgian TV channel Rustavi.
During the vote in Parliament in support of the bill “On the transparency of foreign influence” one deputy opposed — 35 deputies. Another 58 people abstained from voting.
Voting results/Screenshot: telegram channel «NEWSGEORGIA/Novosti-Georgia»
On March 9, the Georgian authorities issued a statement that they would withdraw the bill on «foreign agents» due to the protests that took place in the country . At the same time, Georgian legislation assumes that a bill adopted in the first readings cannot be withdrawn — it must be submitted to the second readings and either rejected or adopted.
On March 7, MPs adopted in the first readings a bill on “ foreign agents» — 76 people voted in favor. After that, mass protests took place in Tbilisi and other large cities of Georgia. In Tbilisi, protesters were dispersed with tear gas and water cannons — the next day, the Georgian Interior Ministry reported that 66 people had been detained. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili spoke out in support of the protesters.
Later, protests also took place on March 8 and 9. The rallies were also dispersed by the security forces. On March 9, participants in the Russian register of “foreign agents” asked the Georgian parliament to refuse to adopt a similar law.