Georgia's president has vetoed a law targeting "foreign agents" that has sparked weeks of mass protests.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The law would require media and NGOs to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if they receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad.
Critics of the bill say it closely resembles legislation used by the Kremlin in Russia to silence opponents, and that it will obstruct Georgia's bid to join the European Union.
President Salome Zourabichvili, who is increasingly at odds with Georgia's ruling party, said on Saturday that the law contradicts the country's constitution and "all European standards" and added that it "must be abolished".
"Today I vetoed a Russian law. This law is Russian in its essence and spirit," the TASS news agency quoted her as telling a briefing.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has a majority sufficient to override Zourabichvili's veto, and is widely expected to do so in the coming days.
The Georgian government insists that the law is intended to promote transparency and curb what it deems harmful foreign influence in the country of 3.7 million.
with Reuters
Australian Associated Press
