Georgian President delivers emergency address amid rallies

President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili (photo: Getty Images)

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili made an emergency address amid mass rallies against the draft law on "foreign agents."

Zurabishvili suggested that the ruling Georgian Dream party postpone the date of the law's entry into force until November 1. That is, to make the law effective after the parliamentary elections to be held on October 26.

"This law is Russian, our government's methods are Russian, and even the prime minister's speech today is Russian," she said.

The day before, the country's prime minister said that 60% of citizens support the alleged "foreign agents" bill. Meanwhile, the protesters announced a large-scale demonstration that will begin today at 22:00.

Protests in Georgia

Last month, the Georgian government began discussing the draft law on "foreign agents," which provoked a wave of protests in the country.

According to media reports, at least 200,000 people took part in yesterday's protest alone.

The situation is causing concern in the European Union. In response, a number of officials have condemned the use of force against protesters and, for example, called for Georgia's status as a candidate for membership in the bloc to be revoked.

Read more about the events in Georgia in RBC-Ukraine's article.