Speaker: It is undemocratic for politicians to avoid accountability and transparency

Georgian citizens have the right to know whose interests Georgian politicians serve, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili stated, commenting on the People’s Power bill on transparency of foreign influence.

According to the Speaker, representatives of political parties, non-governmental organisations, and donor organisations should be held accountable for those impacted by their actions.

“Tabooing accountability and transparency of politicians’ activities, I believe, is not democratic,” he said, adding, “I have said publicly many times that our citizens have the right to know about the people involved in decision-making and influence, to have information, whether financial or otherwise.”

The Speaker was referring to revenue and real estate declarations as a “principle in all countries.” He went on to say that if it hadn’t been for the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) in the United States, Georgian voters would have been unaware that ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili had spent more than USD 1 million on a “propaganda campaign.”

Shalva Papuashvili, commenting on the United National Movement (UNM) party’s rallies, stated that the Georgian people rejected the “destructive, radical plan.” The Speaker stated that everyone had the right to free expression, but the response of citizens was what counted.

“Once again, our citizens see that the radical organisations’ mission is founded on lies and that they are building a poor impression about Georgia as a country,” the Speaker said.