Georgia’s president has said the Caucasian country’s government is “not legitimate” as thousands of protesters gathered again in the capital after a halt to EU membership talks.
The US State Department condemned the “excessive force” used against demonstrators and suspended its strategic partnership with the country after more than 100 arrests were made on Friday.
Georgia was thrown into crisis on Thursday after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement that talks on Georgia’s EU membership bid will now be delayed until 2028.
Joining the EU is overwhelmingly popular in Georgia, according to opinion polls, and the aim is enshrined in the country’s constitution.
But Mr Kobakhidze’s ruling Georgian Dream party has been accused of becoming ever-more authoritarian, opting for improved relations with Russia over the EU.
The freezing of application talks triggered large protests, with 107 people arrested at demonstrations across the country on Friday night following similar clashes on with police on Thursday.
Violence unfolded in the capital Tbilisi, the Black Sea port of Batumi and other cities, with police using water cannons, tear gas, and pepper spray to suppress protesters.
US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller wrote on X on Saturday night: “We condemn excessive force used against Georgians rightfully protesting this betrayal of their constitution – EU is a bulwark against Kremlin.”
President Salome Zourabichvili, who has a mostly ceremonial role, said she would not leave office when her term ends next month in an address on Saturday.
She told Sky News’ Barbara Serra on Saturday: “They saw this election stolen from them and since then, there is no recognition of the legitimacy of the parliament, where no opposition party has entered.”
“It’s a one rule parliament, not legitimate, not recognised by our democracy partners.”
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Fireworks explode as police and protesters clash in Tbilisi on Saturday. Pic: Reuters
She added: “The people on the streets, and that is democracy, are saying with their feet that they do not want to go back to Russia and that they want to consolidate what was their past for the last 30 years.”
Earlier, in a briefing reported on by Reuters, she said: “There is no legitimate parliament, and therefore, an illegitimate parliament cannot elect a new president. Thus, no inauguration can take place, and my mandate continues until a legitimately elected parliament is formed.”
Georgian flags in Tbilisi on Thursday. Pic: Reuters
The European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Georgia’s election last month, which it claimed was neither free nor fair.
Mr Kobakhidze’s party won almost 54% of votes, but opponents claim Russia helped rig the vote to halt the country’s move towards the West.
There were allegations of ballot box stuffing and intimidation – and civil servants being forced to vote for the status quo.
Thousands of protesters were again gathering in Tbilisi on Saturday – the third successive night of protests – amid a large presence of riot police, while hundreds of employees of Georgia’s foreign, defence, justice and education ministries, along with the country’s central bank having signed open letters condemning the decision to freeze talks.
Mr Kobakhidze accused opponents of the halt to EU accession over what his party called “blackmail” of Georgia by the bloc of plotting a revolution, along the lines of Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan protest, which ousted a pro-Russian president.
“In Georgia, the Maidan scenario cannot be realised. Georgia is a state, and the state will not, of course, permit this,” he was quoted as saying by local media.
Ms Zourabichvili said “the whole country is standing in protest” with the “enormous reaction” to the decision growing “every hour and every day” but that, while the demonstrators were “very determined” they were “peaceful”.
“People are deserting the different ministries, the diplomatic corps, people are resigning because they consider that they have been striving their whole life to get Georgia on this European track and that today what we’re seeing is a treason by people who are not elected and certainly not elected to change the path of Georgia,” she said.