TBILISI - Georgia's parliament has approved the first reading of a draft law on foreign agents that sparked mass protests in Tbilisi.
In Wednesday's vote, which took place without the participation of the opposition, 83 lawmakers voted in favour of the controversial bill and none voted against it.
Protests against the bill have been taking place outside the Parliament building since Monday. People have been gathering at the service entrance since noon and a large protest has been planned for this Wednesday at 19:00.
Meanwhile, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has said that if the bill is passed in all three readings, she will veto it.
In early April, the ruling Georgian Dream party announced its decision to resubmit the bill a year after the initiative sparked mass protests that led the authorities to decide not to adopt the law. The text of the bill is almost identical to last year's version with one exception: the term "agent of foreign influence" has been replaced by "entity pursuing foreign interests".
The party's decision to re-submit the bill provoked a negative reaction from the opposition and the Georgian head of state, as well as the EU and US embassies. According to opponents of the idea, the bill may hinder the country's integration into the European Union.
TASS/gnews.cz-JaV_07
PHOTO - TASS/Michail Yegikov
English 
Czech