MPs clash in Parliament discussions of bill on transparency of foreign influence amid protests

Members of the Georgian Parliament on Monday came to blows as the legislative body continued its final discussions of the bill on transparency of foreign influence, reintroduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party on the backdrop of ongoing public protests.

MPs from the parliamentary opposition and the ruling party came to a physical confrontation during a plenary session discussing the draft law.

The legislative piece calls for registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Sunday said she would veto the controversial legislative piece, however the ruling party has enough votes to override her veto.