In Tbilisi, Georgian riot police used tear gas and water cannons against protesters opposing the government’s decision to postpone its pursuit of European Union membership, as reported by AFP journalists.
Following Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement amid a post-election crisis—where the president has questioned the legitimacy of the newly elected parliament and government—thousands took to the streets in the capital and across Georgia.
Demonstrators waved EU and Georgian flags outside the parliament, obstructing traffic on the main artery of Tbilisi, marking the latest in a series of protests across the nation.
Just after midnight, riot police employed tear gas and water cannons against the largely peaceful crowd.
The demonstration turned confrontational as riot police employed tear gas and water cannons against the peaceful protesters.
“I stand alongside the Georgian media, who face disproportionate targeting and violence while fulfilling their roles in reporting,” pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili stated on social media.
The Prime Minister’s announcement came shortly after the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution rejecting the results of Georgia’s parliamentary elections held on October 26, citing “significant irregularities.”
This resolution called for new elections within a year, supervised by international observers, and recommended sanctions against senior Georgian officials, including Mr. Kobakhidze.
Mr. Kobakhidze accused the European Parliament and “certain European politicians” of practicing “blackmail,” asserting: “We have resolved not to place the matter of EU accession on the agenda until the end of 2028.”
Nonetheless, he affirmed a commitment to ongoing reforms, claiming that “by 2028, Georgia will be better prepared than any other candidate nation to initiate accession discussions with Brussels and become an EU member by 2030.”
The former Soviet Union country officially acquired EU candidate status in December 2023.
However, Brussels has put Georgia’s accession process on hold until Tbilisi takes tangible steps to address what it perceives as democratic regression.
The former Soviet nation officially received EU candidate status in December 2023.
Opposition lawmakers are boycotting the newly formed parliament, alleging electoral fraud in the October elections, which allowed the ruling Georgian Dream party to secure a new majority.
President Zurabishvili, at odds with Georgian Dream, labeled the election “unconstitutional” and is seeking to annul the results through the Constitutional Court.
Protests surged in Tbilisi and other urban centers.
“Georgian Dream didn’t win the elections; it orchestrated a coup. There is no legitimate parliament or government in Georgia,” asserted 20-year-old protester Shota Sabashvili.
“We will not allow this self-proclaimed prime minister to jeopardize our European aspirations.”
The Interior Ministry reported that “protesters physically confronted police” in Tbilisi, leading to injuries among three officers, two of whom required hospitalization.
“To de-escalate the situation, lawfully permitted measures were employed, including the use of special means,” it added regarding the deployment of tear gas.
Ms. Zurabishvili convened an “emergency meeting” with foreign diplomats, according to her office.
“Today signifies a critical moment, marking the conclusion of the constitutional coup that has been unfolding for several weeks,” she declared at a news conference with opposition leaders.
Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili attends a demonstration in downtown Tbilisi.
“Today, this non-existent and illegitimate government has declared war on its own people,” she further stated, referring to herself as the nation’s “sole legitimate representative.”
‘Existential crisis’
Approximately 90 Georgian diplomats released a joint statement condemning Mr. Kobakhidze’s announcement.
They stated that the decision “does not align with the country’s strategic interests,” contradicts the Georgian constitution, and “would lead Georgia into international isolation.”
On Thursday, Georgian Dream MPs unanimously supported Mr. Kobakhidze’s continuation as prime minister.
However, constitutional law experts have asserted that any actions taken by the new parliament are void, as it ratified its own legitimacy in violation of a legal mandate to await a court ruling regarding Ms. Zurabishvili’s challenge to annul the election results.
Vakhtang Khmaladze, a co-author of Georgia’s constitution, remarked: “From a legal standpoint, a head of government endorsed by an illegitimate parliament is equally illegitimate.”
“As democratic state institutions have eroded, Georgia’s statehood faces an existential crisis,” he told AFP.
Georgian Dream, accused of steering Georgia away from Europe and towards Russia, refutes claims of electoral fraud.
The party’s nomination of Mr. Kobakhidze for premiership in February raised concerns in the West due to his assertions that European countries and the United States were attempting to pull Georgia into the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Following the October election, a coalition of Georgia’s leading election monitors claimed to have evidence of a “complex scheme of widespread electoral fraud” that manipulated results in favor of Georgian Dream.
The goal of EU membership is enshrined in Georgia’s constitution and enjoys support from 80% of the population, as per opinion polls.
