Thousands of pro-European demonstrators marched again on Friday in Georgia, a few hours after the announcement by the Georgian Prime Minister that he was winning his standoff with the protesters who accuse the government of slowing down the European ambitions of this country. Caucasus.
Georgia has been going through a serious political crisis since the legislative elections of October 26, won by the ruling Georgian Dream party, but denounced as rigged by its opponents.
The decision of Irakli Kobakhidze’s government – accused of a pro-Russian authoritarian drift by its detractors – to suspend until 2028 the question of talks to join the EU has only aggravated tensions.
Thousands of Georgians have since taken to the streets every evening for demonstrations, punctuated by violence between the protesters, equipped with fireworks, and the police armed with water cannons and tear gas.
On Friday, thousands of people blocked the street in front of Parliament for the ninth consecutive night, some whistling and setting off firecrackers, noted an AFP journalist.
The crowd was smaller than previous nights, but protesters insist that their spontaneous movement without real figureheads or structure is far from running out of steam.
“We are fighting for our freedom”said Nana, an 18-year-old medical student, wrapped in a Georgian flag. “We are not going to give in”.
“Neutralizes successfully”
This new mobilization comes as Mr. Kobakhidzé claimed on Friday to have “won an important battle against liberal-fascism” in Georgia, a term he uses to describe his opponents.
Pro-European demonstrators gathered in front of the Parliament in Tbilisi, December 6, 2024 in Georgia / KAREN MINASYAN / AFP
With the arrest of several opposition party figures, as well as the decline in violence and mobilization since Wednesday, he welcomed the fact that the Ministry of the Interior “successfully neutralizes the protesters”.
While new protest demonstrations are expected on Friday for the ninth consecutive night, an end to the crisis does not seem to be in sight.
The ruling party “no longer has the power or resources to face the people”the leader of the opposition Lelo party, Mamouka Khazaradze, told AFP on Friday.
The Interior Ministry announced three new arrests for “participation in group violence”.
On December 14, a college of electors must also elect the new president of the country, from the Prime Minister’s camp, to replace the pro-Western and very critical of the government Salomé Zourabichvili from December 29.
If the head of state has limited prerogatives, Ms. Zourabichvili, a former French diplomat, has nevertheless established herself as the voice of the demonstrators within the institutions.
She has already announced that she refuses to leave office until the government has organized new legislative elections.
Outcha, a 42-year-old doctor who has been demonstrating for a week, is not worried in this context about the drop in mobilization in recent days.
“Of course we’re all a little tired.”he told AFP, preferring not to give his last name for fear of reprisals.
“We need a little rest and then we’ll go back.”he continues.
Leaders incarcerated
Some 300 people have been arrested since the start of the movement, according to official figures. The Georgian human rights ombudsman, Levan Iosseliani, for his part accused the police of « torture ».
Demonstration in front of the Parliament in Tbilisi, December 6, 2024 in Georgia / KAREN MINASYAN / AFP
The leader of the opposition Akhali party, Nika Gvaramia, was notably beaten during his arrest in front of television cameras.
On Friday, he was sentenced to 12 days in prison.
The leader of the opposition group Strong Georgia, Alexander Elisashvili, was placed in pre-trial detention for two months.
The United States and the European Union denounced this repression, and Washington threatened to adopt new sanctions.
Critics of power in Georgia accuse the government of trying to bury EU integration ambitions, although this objective, supported by 80% of the population according to polls, is enshrined in the Constitution.
The opposition also accuses the authorities of wanting to turn the country towards Russia and trying to frighten the population by invoking a risk of war, as in Ukraine, while 20% of Georgia is de facto under the control of Moscow since a Russian invasion in 2008.