The Georgian prime minister denounced what he referred to as a “cascade of insults” from EU politicians and mentioned that “our nation’s detractors have turned the European Parliament right into a blunt weapon of blackmail in opposition to Georgia.”
Protesters gathered throughout Georgia for the third consecutive evening of demonstrations in opposition to the federal government’s choice to droop negotiations on becoming a member of the European Union.
More than 100 protesters had been arrested as crowds clashed with police on Friday night, the nation’s Interior Ministry mentioned.
On the identical evening, police additionally used heavy power in opposition to members of the media and used water cannons to push again protesters alongside the capital’s central avenue, Rustaveli Avenue.
Some media reported seeing protesters chased and crushed by police as they gathered exterior the nation’s parliament constructing.
The disputed victory of the ruling Georgian Dream occasion within the nation’s October 26 parliamentary elections, which was broadly seen as a referendum on Georgia’s aspirations to hitch the EU, sparked giant demonstrations and led to a boycott of parliament by the ‘opposition.
In an interview with Euronews, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili mentioned the dimensions of the protests was unprecedented as a result of that they had unfold past the capital Tbilisi.
“Every day there are an increasing number of folks on the streets. And, most significantly, actual dissent is rising within the nation. In state establishments, the place folks resign, or protest, or signal petitions, relying on which establishment we’re speaking about , “he mentioned.
He additionally criticized the present authorities, led by the populist Georgian Dream occasion, calling it “illegitimate.”
“They usually are not acknowledged by anybody. They weren’t acknowledged by the Georgian inhabitants, to start with. They weren’t acknowledged by the nation’s political forces, as a result of no opposition occasion acknowledged them as winners of those partially rigged elections and nobody entered Parliament due to this fact it’s an illegitimate occasion and parliament.”
The opposition claims that the parliamentary vote was manipulated with the assistance of Russia, to be able to set up a Moscow-friendly occasion and hold Georgia in Russia’s orbit.
European election observers mentioned October’s vote passed off in a divisive environment marked by instances of corruption, double voting and bodily violence.
The authorities’s announcement to droop EU membership negotiations got here hours after the European Parliament adopted a decision condemning final month’s vote as neither free nor honest.
He mentioned the election represents one other manifestation of Georgia’s continued democratic backsliding “for which the ruling Georgian Dream occasion is totally accountable.”
The EU granted Georgia candidate standing in December 2023 so long as it complied with the bloc’s suggestions, however suspended its membership and reduce monetary help earlier this yr after the passage of a controversial immigration legislation. international affect, broadly seen as a blow to democratic freedoms. .
EU lawmakers have referred to as for a rerun of the parliamentary vote inside a yr beneath shut worldwide supervision and by an unbiased electoral administration.
ANNOUNCEMENTThey additionally referred to as on the EU to impose sanctions and restrict formal contacts with the Georgian authorities.
Kobakhidze returns hearth
The Georgian prime minister fired again, denouncing what he referred to as a “cascade of insults” from EU politicians and declaring that “our nation’s detractors have turned the European Parliament right into a blunt weapon of blackmail in opposition to Georgia, which is a superb disgrace for the European Union.”
Irakli Kobakhidze additionally mentioned that Georgia will refuse any budgetary subsidies from the EU till the tip of 2028.
Critics have accused the Georgian Dream of changing into more and more authoritarian and tilting in the direction of Moscow.
ANNOUNCEMENTThe occasion has lately pushed for legal guidelines much like these utilized by the Kremlin to crack down on free speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
