TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — After police used tear gas and water cannons on the third night of protests against the government’s decision to halt talks to join the European Union, officials said Sunday that 44 people were hospitalized.
On Saturday evening, tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside the parliament, hurling stones and igniting fireworks. In front of the legislature, an effigy of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and a mysterious billionaire who amassed his wealth in Russia, was set on fire.
Georgia’s Interior Ministry reported on Sunday that one media worker, 16 police officers, and 27 demonstrators were admitted to the hospital.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the prime minister, issued a warning that any infraction would be dealt with harshly.
He stated during a briefing on Sunday that lawmakers who hide in their offices and subject members of their violent groups to harsh punishment would also be held accountable.
He denied that Georgia’s European integration had been put on hold. The humiliating and aggressive extortion, which was actually a major barrier to our nation’s European integration, is the single thing we have resisted.
In reference to Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan revolution, which overthrew the country’s president who supported Moscow and sparked a decade of profound change that ultimately resulted in its current conflict with Russia, he stated on Saturday that unidentified foreign entities wanted to see Georgia become Ukraine in a Maidan-style scenario.
Additionally, Kobakhidze rejected the U.S. State Department’s announcement on Saturday that it was halting its strategic alliance with Georgia. Georgia’s decision to cease its EU admission attempts was denounced in the statement.
It is evident that the departing government is making every effort to provide the next administration with a challenging legacy. Regarding the United States, Kobakhidze stated, “They are doing this with regard to Ukraine and now with regard to Georgia.” There will be no fundamental relevance to this. We’ll wait for the new government to take office and talk to them about everything.
Significant protests and an opposition boycott of parliament have resulted from the ruling Georgian Dream party’s contested victory in the October 26 parliamentary election, which was widely interpreted as a vote on Georgia’s EU membership aspirations.
The opposition claims that Russia, Georgia’s old imperial overlord, helped rig the vote in an effort to maintain Tbilisi inside its sphere of influence.
Georgia’s pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Georgian Dream controlled the main institutions and that her nation was turning into a state that was almost identical to Russia.
A revolution is not what we are calling for. We’re calling for fresh elections, but with provisions that guarantee the people’s will won’t be manipulated or stolen once more, Zourabichvili stated. Georgia has consistently resisted Russian influence and will not allow its destiny and vote to be stolen.
Hours after the European Parliament passed a resolution denouncing last month’s referendum as neither free nor fair, the administration announced it was halting its EU accession talks. According to the report, the election was just another example of Georgia’s ongoing democratic regression, for which the ruling Georgian Dream party bears full responsibility.
Georgia was given candidate status by the EU in December 2023, provided it complied with the bloc’s recommendations. However, earlier this year, the EU suspended its admission and halted financial support after a foreign influence bill was passed, which was generally viewed as a setback to democratic freedoms.
Within a year, EU legislators called for a rerun of the parliamentary vote, overseen by an independent electoral administration and closely monitored by the international community. Additionally, they urged the EU to restrict official interactions with the Georgian government and apply sanctions.
“It is a great disgrace for the European Union that the ill-wishers of our country have turned the European Parliament into a blunt weapon of blackmail against Georgia,” the prime minister of Georgia stated, condemning what he called a “cascade of insults from EU politicians.”
Additionally, Kobakhidze declared that Georgia would not accept any EU fiscal aid until the end of 2028.
Georgian Dream has come under fire for allegedly growing more dictatorial and pro-Moscow. Recently, the party passed legislation that repressed LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of speech, much like the Kremlin did.
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