Dissatisfied Georgians denounce the authorities' decision to suspend the country's integration ambitions within the European Union.
Published on 02/12/2024 18:13
Reading time: 2min
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, on Monday, December 2, for the fifth consecutive evening, noted an AFP journalist. Since Thursday, opposition supporters have been protesting against the government decision to postpone discussions on Georgia's membership in the European Union until 2028, five years after obtaining candidate status.
Protesters wave European and Georgian flags in front of Parliament, the epicenter of the protest movement in this Caucasian country. They are supervised by a large police force, the rallies of the previous days having been punctuated by clashes between police and opponents.
This movement takes place while the authority of the Georgian Dream, the ruling party, is highly contested by the opposition, which accuses it of having “stolen” the legislative elections of October 26 and calls for a new vote.
Prime Minister Irakli Khobadidze assured that his government would do “maximum d’efforts” to join the European Union. “No negotiations” with the opposition, he decided on the other hand.
Monday morning, the pro-Western president, Salomé Zourabichvili, breaking with the government but with very limited powers, estimated that the mobilization was not weakening. “Another impressive night during which Georgians firmly defended their Constitution and their European choice”she wrote on X.
On Sunday, the situation became tense in the evening around Parliament. Demonstrators threw fireworks into the building and at the police, who then used water cannons and tear gas to disperse them.
