🔗 Share this article

The nation's prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, has unveiled a broad suppression on political opposition, accusing protesters who attempted to storm the presidential palace of aiming to overthrow his administration and blaming the European Union for interference in Georgia's affairs.

Kobakhidze made these allegations just a day after demonstrators tried to enter the presidential building during municipal polls. Riot police halted their advance by employing pepper spray and water jets.

"Not a single person will avoid responsibility. This encompasses political responsibility," Kobakhidze was reported to state.

Officers arrested at least five demonstrators, including representatives of the largest opposition party and the opera singer turned campaigner Paata Burchuladze.

Local media cited the health ministry as stating that twenty-one police officers and six protesters had been hurt in confrontations in the heart of the capital.

Background of the Political Unrest

The nation of Georgia has been in upheaval since Kobakhidze's governing GD party claimed victory in the previous year's general election, which the European-leaning opposition asserts was stolen. From that point, Georgia's negotiations on joining the European Union have been halted.

The premier said that up to 7,000 people participated in Saturday's opposition rally but their "effort to overthrow the constitutional order" had been thwarted despite what he called EU backing.

"A number of people have been detained – primarily the leaders of the attempted overthrow," he informed reporters, adding that the primary opposition group "will be barred from operating in the nation's political scene."

Protest Movement Calls and Administration Response

Opposition figures had called for a "non-violent uprising" against GD, which they allege of being pro-Russian and dictatorial. The political group has been in power since 2012.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the center of the city, waving Georgian and EU flags, after an extended period of Kremlin-style raids on independent media, restrictions on non-governmental groups and the detention of many of opponents and activists.

Kobakhidze blamed the EU's ambassador to the country, Paweł Herczyński, of meddling. "It is known that specific people from abroad have publicly stated direct support for these actions, for the announced attempt to disrupt the legal government," he said, noting that Herczyński "bears special responsibility in this context."

"The ambassador should come out, distance himself and strictly condemn everything that is occurring on the streets of Tbilisi," said the prime minister.

European Union Position and Continuing Political Strain

In the summer, the European External Action Service rejected what it called "false information and unfounded claims" about the EU's alleged role in the nation.

The pro-western opposition have been staging protests since the previous autumn, when Georgian Dream secured victory in a parliamentary election that its critics claim was marred by fraud. The ruling group has rejected accusations of vote-rigging.

Georgia has the goal of EU accession enshrined in its founding document and has long been among the most pro-western of the Soviet Union's successor states. Its ties with the Western nations have been under pressure since Moscow's military offensive of Ukraine in 2022.

Georgian Dream is controlled by its creator, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the wealthiest individual and a former prime minister, and rejects it is pro-Moscow. It says it wants to join the EU while preserving peace with Russia.