“76 votes for, 13 against.
The bill was adopted in the first reading," Speaker of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili said after the voting procedure, TASS quoted him as saying.
He specified that the “Georgian version of the bill” was adopted in the first reading, and the “American version” will be discussed at the next meeting.
The agency explains that, according to the Georgian version of the document, a legal entity, more than 20% of whose funding comes from abroad, should be considered an agent of foreign influence.
The American version applies not only to legal entities, but also to individuals, it also includes criminal liability, the report says.
The document proposes to create a register of non-governmental organizations, media and entities that receive money from a foreign state.
At the same time, representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party (the parliamentary majority) told reporters that they planned to support the bill.
If President Salome Zurabishvili vetoes it, the deputies will try to overcome it.
Concern about the Georgian law was expressed in the US State Department.
Also, US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan asked the Georgian parliament to withdraw and revise the bill.
According to the American diplomat, this initiative does not correspond to the interests of Georgia.