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Georgian parliament speaker says will sign foreign agent bill instead of president

In line with the existing procedures, after the veto is overridden, the bill returns to the president for signing

TBILISI, May 29. /TASS/. Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili announced his intention to sign a controversial foreign agent bill that the legislature passed on Tuesday, overriding President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto, into law himself as he does not expect the country’s leader to do so anyway.

"The [foreign agent] bill was submitted to the presidential administration yesterday. <…> It’s clear that she (Zourabichvili - TASS) will highly likely not sign it. Correspondingly, I will sign this bill into law myself," he said at a news conference.

In line with the existing procedures, after the veto is overridden, the bill returns to the president for signing. If Zourabichvili again refuses to sign the document, it will be signed and published by the parliament speaker. After publication, the law will come into effect.

On May 14, the Georgian Parliament passed the law On the Transparency of Foreign Influence in the third reading, thus drawing sharp criticism from the European Union coupled with threats to suspend the country’s EU integration. US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien said that the United States would impose sanctions on the Georgian government, if democracy was undermined in Georgia. Zourabichvili vetoed the law on May 18.

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