Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili vowed to defy the ruling party’s plan to replace her, as riot police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse demonstrators during a second night of protests in the capital.
Protesters gathered around the parliament building in Tbilisi on Saturday and were pushed by police and special forces towards a nearby square after disobeying orders to leave the area. Taxi drivers used their vehicles to form a barrier between protesters and riot police.
The protests were sparked by the ruling party’s announcement that it would delay negotiations on European Union membership until 2028. Zourabichvili, whose role is largely ceremonial, encouraged the protests against what he called a “Russian special operation” that seeks strengthen Moscow’s influence and thwart the former Soviet republic’s goal of joining the EU and NATO.
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Kaja Kallas, on her first day as the EU’s top diplomat, stated in a post on Platform X that the ruling party’s actions would have “direct consequences” on the EU side.
Separately, the US suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia, saying the Georgian Dream party’s “various undemocratic actions” violated the mechanism’s fundamental principles. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that Georgian Dream’s rejection of possible closer ties with Europe makes the country “more vulnerable to the Kremlin.”
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, in a statement broadcast on Facebook on Sunday, called the U.S. decision “temporary,” saying the outgoing Biden administration was trying to leave the most challenging issues to President-elect Donald Trump. “We will wait for the new administration and discuss everything with them,” Kobakhidze said.
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Several Georgian ambassadors to European countries resigned in protest against the government’s change of direction in its foreign policies.
While Zourabichvili blamed the security forces for the escalating violence, Kobakhidze, a member of the ruling party, blamed “radicals and their foreign bosses” at a press conference on Saturday.
“We call on foreign entities to cease encouraging violent and baseless protests that foment anti-European sentiments in Georgian society,” he said. “Georgia is a state with strong institutions that is constantly moving forward on the path to European integration.”
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Georgian Dream, founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, won October’s parliamentary elections, extending its 12-year rule for another four years. Opposition lawmakers who support a pro-European charter are boycotting the new parliament, alleging voting fraud.
Georgia has applied for EU membership in 2022, along with Ukraine and Moldova, but has not yet formally agreed to open the accession negotiation process, which could take years.
Last week, Georgian Dream chose Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former football player and current lawmaker, as its presidential candidate in the December 14 election to replace the pro-European Zourabichvili. The president will be chosen by the country’s Electoral College, which consists of 300 people, including all members of parliament, under constitutional changes that will come into force this year.
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Zourabichvili called the October elections illegitimate, saying it is “the only independent and legitimate institution left” in Georgia.
“There is no legitimate parliament, therefore there is no legitimate president or inauguration. That is why I am remaining your president,” Zourabichvili said in a televised speech on Saturday.
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