President Kavelashvili rejects lawsuit filed by predecessor against foreign influence law

Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on Monday officially rejected a constitutional lawsuit filed by the country’s fifth President, Salome Zourabichvili, seeking to repeal the controversial Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence.

In a statement released by Kavelashvili’s press service, the president reiterated his stance that the law was “in line with Georgia’s commitment to safeguarding national sovereignty and ensuring the country’s stable development. The law requires organizations “that align with foreign interests” to register in a specially created registry.

“The Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence upholds transparency, a crucial element for protecting Georgia’s sovereignty,” the statement read. “It ensures that the public is fully informed about the financial backing of organizations advocating for foreign powers.”

The law proposed and adopted by the ruling Georgian Dream party last year had sparked large scale domestic and foreign condemnation for its potential suppression of the civil sector and media organizations.