Georgia president demands fresh parliamentary elections as protests continue
Georgia president demands fresh parliamentary elections as protests continue
Georgia’s pro-European incumbent president, Salome Zourabichvili, has called for fresh parliamentary elections given the turmoil her country faces as protests continued following the government’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union.
Following the allegations of electoral fraud and the government’s departure from the path towards the EU, a way to a new vote must be found, Zourabichvili asserted.
“We only have one demand, which is based on the constitution after the elections were rigged,” she said at a meeting with opposition representatives. “The only way to achieve stability is through new elections, there is no other way.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed the European Union’s openness to Georgia despite concerns over the country’s leadership shifting away from pro-European values as the country enters its fourth night of protests.
In a statement posted on social media on Sunday, von der Leyen expressed regret over the Georgian government’s decision to diverge from EU principles.
“The door to the EU remains open,” she wrote. “The return of Georgia on the EU path is in the hands of the Georgian leadership.”
She also emphasised the EU’s solidarity with Georgian citizens seeking a European future.
Thousands of people gathered again in the capital Tbilisi and in a number of other Georgian cities for a fourth night on Sunday evening into Monday morning to continue their anti-government protests.
Police used water cannon and tear gas on the crowds, while some protesters launched fireworks at the police, according to Georgian media.
Official information on the number of injured and arrested overnight was not immediately available on Sunday.
On Saturday night, the police had reportedly arrested 107 people for hooliganism in the capital Tbilisi alone. Demonstrations are also taking place in other cities across Georgia.
The background to the protests is the parliamentary elections at the end of October, which were overshadowed by allegations of fraud and in which the ruling Georgian Dream party was declared the winner.
The opposition has not recognised the election results and opposition lawmakers have refused to accept their mandates.
The latest wave of protests kicked off after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that he would cancel EU accession negotiations until 2028. He has accused the EU of interference in Georgian matters and blackmail.
According to polls, most Georgians want their country to join the EU, a goal that is formally enshrined in the country’s constitution.
The conflict has also spread to an institutional level.
Several ambassadors have resigned in protest, while Zourabichvili, has declared her intention of resisting the change in government.
Zourabichvili, whose term is due to end in mid-December, has said that she will remain in office, since an “illegitimate parliament cannot elect a new president”.
Georgian law has been changed so that, for the first time, her successor will not be directly elected by the people, but is instead to be appointed by members of parliament and regional representatives.
The European Union could impose sanctions over the latest developments in Georgia, the EU’s new foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday.
“It is clear that using violence against peaceful protesters is not acceptable, and [the] Georgian government should respect the will of the Georgian people, but also the Georgian constitution,” Kallas said during a visit to Kyiv.
“When it comes to European Union, then this clearly has consequences on our relationship with Georgia,” she said.
Kallas mentioned sanctions and visa restrictions as possible steps, but said any consequences would be discussed and agreed together with EU member states.
“Clearly, [the] Georgian government is not respecting the will of Georgia people when it comes to the European future,” said Kallas, “and I think we shouldn’t let them slip away”.
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