Georgian PM alleges protesters of trying to dethrone government
(MENAFN) Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused protesters in Tbilisi of trying to topple the government following the ruling party’s declared victory in local elections on Saturday.
The Georgian Dream party won over 1.1 million votes, about 81.6% of the ballots cast, according to the Central Election Commission. Several opposition parties boycotted the vote.
In response, the opposition organized a large rally in Tbilisi opposing the election results, drawing thousands and attempting to storm the Orbeliani Palace, the presidential residence. Police used pepper spray and water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Five rally organizers were arrested, and six protesters along with 21 law enforcement officers were hospitalized, public broadcaster reported.
At a Sunday news briefing, Kobakhidze said the rally involved between 5,000 and 7,000 people and claimed it was an attempt to overthrow the government.
“They moved to action, began the overthrow attempt, it failed, and then they started distancing themselves from it,” Kobakhidze said.
He warned that “no one will remain unpunished,” adding that some only distanced themselves from the attempt after it failed.
“However, of course, no one will escape responsibility. This includes political responsibility,” he added.
Kobakhidze singled out EU Ambassador Paweł Herczynski, accusing him of bearing “special responsibility” for the protests.
“He should come out, distance himself and strictly condemn everything that is happening on the streets of Tbilisi. This is his direct responsibility in the context when we saw and directly heard statements of support for the attempt to overthrow the constitutional order,” Kobakhidze said.
Anti-government protests have been ongoing since October last year, after Georgian Dream’s parliamentary election victory, which the opposition claimed was fraudulent.
The EU has yet to comment on Kobakhidze’s accusations. In July, its diplomatic service said it “firmly rejects and condemns the disinformation and baseless accusations by the Georgian authorities regarding the EU’s role in Georgia” and denounced “personal attacks” against Herczynski.
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