Georgia’s prime minister vows reprisals against opposition after election protests
Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze vowed on Sunday to take reprisals against opposition groups following major election-day protests in the capital, Tbilisi. The demonstrations, which drew tens of thousands of pro-European protesters, erupted on Saturday evening as local elections — boycotted by parts of the opposition — were won by the ruling Georgian Dream party.
According to authorities, protesters attempted to storm the presidential palace but were repelled by police using tear gas and water cannons. Clashes broke out in the city center as demonstrators built barricades and set fires. “Several people have already been arrested, primarily the organizers of the attempted overthrow,” Kobakhidze told reporters, adding that “many others should expect convictions — no one will go unpunished.”
The prime minister denounced the unrest as a “coup attempt,” allegedly “planned by foreign intelligence services,” though he did not name any countries. He vowed to “neutralize this political force — a network of foreign agents — which will no longer be allowed to interfere in Georgian politics,” referring to the main opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM), founded by jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili.
The Interior Ministry said it had opened an investigation into “calls for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order” and arrested five protest leaders, who face up to nine years in prison.
The Georgian Dream party, in power since 2012, has been accused by critics of steering the country away from its EU aspirations and toward closer ties with Moscow — allegations the government denies. Officials instead accuse the opposition and Western powers of trying to use Georgia to open a new front against Russia.
According to the election commission, Georgian Dream won majorities in all contested municipalities during Saturday’s vote. Saakashvili, currently serving a 12.5-year sentence for abuse of power, had urged supporters to protest what he called the nation’s “last chance” to defend democracy.
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