At a recent briefing, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Secretary of the Parliamentary Majority, reaffirmed the ruling party’s intent to tighten legislative controls in response to what he called external interference and manufactured instability. Citing the global USAID scandal and alleged foreign influence, Mdinaradze argued that Georgia must “completely reclaim our country” and prevent outside forces from “keeping our homeland in a permanent state of chaos with non-existent problems and fabricated accusations.”
As part of this agenda, the ruling party has outlined a series of legislative measures to be implemented over the next two months, including:
- Tougher Anti-Drug and Juvenile Justice Policies – Stricter penalties for drug use and tighter regulations on juvenile offenders.
- Migration Restrictions – Reinforcing control over immigration policies.
- NGO Oversight and Foreign Influence Restrictions – (citing) “Norms that provide for the mandatory participation of non-governmental organizations in the process of public decision-making will be removed from absolutely all laws and by-laws.”
- Media Regulation – The introduction of a British-style media law to enforce journalistic standards and curb foreign-funded media operations.
- Foreign Agent Law Expansion – A new bill mirroring the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), replacing Georgia’s previous, milder version, which, according to Mdinaradze, NGOs have failed to comply with.
Additionally, the government plans to establish a state-managed grant fund for public organizations, aiming to replace foreign funding sources with domestic alternatives.
Mdinaradze also issued a warning against external pressure on Georgia’s political landscape, vowing retaliation against any attempts to interfere in the country’s sovereignty: (citing) “We promise the public that the more pressure, coercion, blackmail, and attempts to encroach on Georgia’s independence, unrest, and chaos in our country, the more severe the response… no one will ever dare to interfere in Georgia’s internal affairs, encroach on its independence, and disrespect the decisions of the Georgian people.”
These measures, framed as efforts to safeguard Georgia’s sovereignty, signal a significant shift towards a more restrictive governance model, further escalating tensions between the ruling party and opposition forces.
