The decision of the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze government to not bring EU accession negotiations to the agenda until 2028 on the grounds that Georgia’s EU candidate status is being used as a tool to fuel radicalism and polarization in Georgia has brought many to the streets. Dozens of protesters and police officers were injured and many people were detained as a result of the clashes with the police during the protest in the capital, Tbilisi, where thousands of protesters carrying EU and Georgian flags attempted to enter the parliament building.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili reacted to the government’s decision and showed her support for the protesters by saying, “Today, this illegitimate government declared not peace, but war—on its own people, past, and future,” in a post she shared on her social media account.
The victory of the ruling Georgian Dream Party in the elections on October 26 has not been recognized by President Salome Zurabishvili and the opposition parties on the grounds of election fraud. In the parliamentary vote yesterday, in which the opposition did not participate, the new government formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze received a vote of confidence.