The pro-Western president of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, said today that the protests of pro-European citizens “have no signs of stopping” in the Caucasian country. Georgia has been rocked by daily anti-government demonstrations since last week, reported France Presse, quoted by BTA.
“Another impressive night in which Georgians firmly defended their constitution and their European choice,” Zurabishvili wrote on the social network X, sharing photos from last night's demonstration. “The determination of the protesters shows no signs of stopping”, assured the president, who is in opposition to the government but has very limited powers.
The "Georgian Dream" party, which has been in power since 2012. and accused by her opponents of pro-Russian authoritarianism, sparked a new wave of protests on Thursday after delaying EU membership talks until 2028.
This goal is so important for Georgia that it is enshrined in the constitution of the former Soviet republic, AFP recalls.
Last night, for the fourth night in a row, demonstrators gathered waving European flags and singing the national anthem late into the night in the capital Tbilisi and in other cities. They were dispersed with water cannons and tear gas by the police, at which some of them fired projectiles and pirates.
This morning, the Ministry of the Interior announced that 21 police officers had been injured, some of them “serious”, during the previous day's demonstrations and clashes.
A total of 224 people have been arrested since the protests began last week, the Georgian ministry added.
The Caucasian country is experiencing a political crisis since the party “Georgian Dream“ declared victory in the parliamentary elections at the end of October. The opposition and President Salome Zurabishvili announced that the elections were marred by fraud.
For his part, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze categorically ruled out the possibility of organizing new elections. “Certainly we will not (do it)”, he replied to a journalist's inquiry as to whether such a plot is possible.
Georgia gained official EU candidate status in December 2023, but Brussels has since frozen the process, accusing the executive of taking a serious step backwards in terms of democracy.