Executive Summary
- Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused protesters of attempting to overthrow the government and alleged the European Union was meddling in the country’s politics, following large opposition demonstrations on Saturday.
- Kobakhidze claimed the “attempt to overthrow the constitutional order” failed, warned that “No one will escape responsibility,” and specifically urged EU Ambassador Paweł Herczynski to condemn the protests.
- The EU’s diplomatic service had previously rejected similar accusations from Georgian authorities in July, dismissing them as “disinformation and baseless accusations” regarding the EU’s alleged role in Georgia.
The Story So Far
- The current political unrest in Georgia is rooted in a prolonged internal crisis, stemming from opposition protests since last October over parliamentary elections that critics deemed fraudulent—accusations consistently rejected by the ruling Georgian Dream party—and further underscored by the opposition’s boycott of recent local elections. This ongoing domestic tension unfolds against a backdrop of increasingly strained relations between Georgia and Western countries, including the EU, a significant shift particularly noticeable since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which provides context for the Prime Minister’s accusations of foreign meddling.
Why This Matters
- The Georgian Prime Minister’s accusations of an attempted government overthrow by protesters and alleged EU interference signal a significant escalation of internal political tensions and could further strain Georgia’s increasingly fraught relationship with Western countries, potentially jeopardizing its pro-Western aspirations amidst ongoing opposition challenges to the ruling party’s legitimacy.
Who Thinks What?
- Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accuses protesters of attempting to overthrow the government, alleges EU interference in Georgian politics, and claims the ruling Georgian Dream party won local elections, while rejecting accusations of vote-rigging.
- The pro-Western opposition and protesters are organizing demonstrations, deeming the October parliamentary election fraudulent, and boycotted the recent local elections.
- The European Union rejects accusations from Georgian authorities of meddling in the country’s politics, dismissing claims of seeking to destabilize Georgia or impose values as “disinformation and baseless accusations.”
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Sunday accused protesters of attempting to overthrow the government and alleged that the European Union was meddling in the country’s politics. His statements followed a day of large opposition demonstrations in Tbilisi on Saturday, where riot police used pepper spray and water cannons to disperse demonstrators near the presidential palace, leading to five arrests.
Government Accusations
Prime Minister Kobakhidze claimed that approximately 7,000 people attended the rally, stating that their “attempt to overthrow the constitutional order” had failed despite what he described as support from the EU. He warned that “No one will escape responsibility. This includes political responsibility.”
Kobakhidze specifically accused EU Ambassador Paweł Herczynski of interfering in Georgian politics. He urged the ambassador to condemn the protests, asserting that “specific people from abroad have even expressed direct support for all this, for the announced attempt to overthrow the constitutional order.”
EU’s Prior Response
While there was no immediate comment from the EU regarding the latest claims, the EU’s diplomatic service had previously rejected similar accusations in July. At that time, it dismissed what it called “disinformation and baseless accusations” by Georgian authorities concerning the EU’s alleged role in Georgia.
The EU statement in July clarified that “Recent statements falsely claiming that the EU seeks to destabilize Georgia, drag it into war or impose so-called ‘non-traditional values,’ constitute a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.”
Context of Protests and Elections
The protests on Saturday coincided with local elections, which the governing Georgian Dream (GD) party claimed to have won in every municipality across the South Caucasus nation. However, the two largest opposition blocs boycotted the election.
Georgia’s pro-Western opposition has been organizing demonstrations since October last year, following a parliamentary election that critics deemed fraudulent. The ruling Georgian Dream party has consistently rejected these accusations of vote-rigging.
Geopolitical Landscape
Once considered one of the most pro-Western nations post-Soviet Union, Georgia’s relations with Western countries have become increasingly strained. This shift has been particularly noticeable since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
