The country continues to be immersed in protests following suspicions of fraud in last month’s elections and after the Government postponed the discussion on future accession to the European Union
Georgia announced this Saturday that 107 people were arrested on the second day of protests triggered by the Government’s decision to postpone the discussion on joining the European Union (EU), in the midst of the post-election crisis.
The Ministry of the Interior said that the arrests were due to “disobedience to police orders” and “acts of vandalism”, during which security forces used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters.
On Friday, Ukraine accused Georgia of suspending its candidacy for the European Union to “please Moscow”, with Kiev’s diplomacy expressing disappointment with the former Soviet republic’s decision, in the wake of the contested October 26 elections, which gave victory to the party in power, considered pro-Russia.
In a statement broadcast on state television, the country’s president, Salome Zourabishvilli, said last night that “the resistance movement has started” and that she is “in solidarity” with the protesters. “We will remain united until Georgia achieves its objectives, of returning to the European path and having new elections”, .
Hours earlier, more than 100 of the country’s diplomats and civil servants signed an open letter saying the government’s decision not to debate EU membership is out of line with Georgia’s strategic interests.
In response, and defending his decision, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused Brussels of “blackmail” after members of the European Parliament supported the demands of a part of the Georgian population about the need to repeat the trip to the polls in the face of ” significant irregularities”.
The Georgian Dream has governed the country since 2012, under accusations of growing rapprochement with Moscow and trying to silence pro-EU opponents and critics. The party claimed victory in the elections a month ago, but the results are being boycotted by the opposition, which speaks of fraud and refuses to join the new Parliament, with the country’s president saying that having a legislative chamber with just one party is “unconstitutional”.
