Supporters of Georgian opposition parties held a rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, on November 30, 2024, to protest against the new government’s decision to suspend EU accession negotiations and reject budget allocations until 2028.
Irakli Gardens | Reuters
Protesters gathered across Georgia on Saturday night for the third consecutive night of demonstrations against the government’s decision to suspend EU accession talks.
The country’s interior ministry said more than 100 demonstrators were arrested on Friday night as crowds clashed with police. The Associated Press saw protesters in Tbilisi being chased and beaten by police as they rallied in front of the country’s parliament building.
That same night, police also used heavy force against media personnel and used water cannon to move protesters along Rustaveli Boulevard, the capital’s central thoroughfare.
The ruling Georgian Dream party scored a controversial victory in the country’s October 26 parliamentary election, which was widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s desire to join the European Union, triggering mass demonstrations and leading to opposition boycotted parliament.
The opposition said the vote was held with help from Russia, Georgia’s former imperial master, and that Moscow wanted to keep Tbilisi in its orbit.
Georgian President Salome Zurabichvili told The Associated Press on Saturday that Georgia was becoming a “quasi-Russian” state and that Georgia dreams of controlling the country’s key institutions.
“We have seen something happen in this country where there are no longer any independent institutions, no courts, no central bank and certainly no parliament,” she said. “We are moving faster and faster towards a quasi-Russian model.”
Zurabichvili also rejected statements by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who described the protests as “violent demonstrations”. He said in a statement on Saturday that Tbilisi remained committed to European integration. However, he said unspecified “foreign entities” wanted to see Georgia “Ukrainized” with “Maidan-type scenes” – a reference to Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan revolution.
“We are not asking for a revolution. We are asking for new elections, but on condition that we ensure that the will of the people is not distorted or stolen again,” Zurabichvili said. “Georgia has always resisted Russian influence and has not Will accept his vote and fate being stolen.”
The government announced it was suspending EU accession talks, just hours after the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning last month’s vote as neither free nor fair. The report stated that this election is another manifestation of Georgia’s continued democratic regression, “for which the ruling Georgian Dream Party bears full responsibility.”
European election observers said the October vote was held in a divisive atmosphere, with incidents of bribery, double voting and physical violence.
The EU granted Georgia candidacy status in December 2023 on the condition that Georgia complied with EU recommendations, but suspended it after passing a “foreign influence” law earlier this year that was widely seen as a blow to democratic freedoms. Joined and cut financial support.
EU lawmakers have urged a new parliamentary vote to be held within a year under thorough international supervision by an independent electoral management body. They also called on the EU to impose sanctions and limit formal contacts with the Georgian government.
The Georgian prime minister hit back, denouncing the “serial insults” from EU politicians and declaring that “bad actors in our country have turned the European Parliament into a blunt instrument of blackmail against Georgia. This is a great disgrace to the EU.”
Kobakhidze also said that Georgia would refuse to accept any budget allocations from the EU until the end of 2028.
Critics accuse Georgian Dream – founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a mysterious billionaire who made her fortune in Russia – of becoming increasingly authoritarian and leaning toward Moscow. The party recently pushed for the passage of laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on free speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
