Georgia’s parliament speaker vows to override presidential veto on divisive foreign influence bill

By SOPHIKO MEGRELIDZE
Associated Press

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia’s parliament speaker on Monday vowed to override a presidential veto on divisive legislation that sparked weeks of mass protests by critics who see it as a threat to democratic freedoms and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union. The legislation, passed by the parliament earlier this month, requires media and nongovernmental organizations and other nonprofits to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. It has been criticized by the opposition and the West, and Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili vetoed it on Saturday. But parliament will override her veto, speaker Shalva Papuashvili told reporters.