Georgian Prime Minister Accuses Protesters of Trying to Overthrow Government, Accuses EU of Interference

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that protesters who tried to storm the presidential palace were actually trying to overthrow the government, accusing the European Union of interfering in Georgian politics.

Georgian riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters outside the presidential palace and arrested five activists on Saturday, as the opposition staged a large protest on the day of local elections, Reuters reports.

Kobakhidze said that around 7.000 people participated in the protest, but that their "attempt to overthrow the constitutional order" failed, despite, as he stated, support from the European Union.

"They took action, started an attempt to demolish it, it failed, and then they started to distance themselves from it," the Prime Minister was quoted as saying by the Interpress agency.

"No one will escape responsibility. That includes political responsibility," he added.

Accusations against EU ambassador

The Prime Minister accused the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, Pavel Herchinsky, of interfering in the country's internal politics and called on him to publicly condemn the protests.

"You know that certain individuals from abroad have even expressed direct support for all this, the attempt to overthrow the constitutional order," Kobakhidze said.

"In this context, the EU ambassador to Georgia bears a special responsibility. He should come out, distance himself and strongly condemn everything that is happening on the streets of Tbilisi."

The European Union did not immediately comment on Kobakhidz's claims, but in July the European External Action Service rejected what it called "disinformation and unfounded accusations" by Georgian authorities about the EU's alleged role in destabilizing the country.

"Recent statements falsely claiming that the EU is trying to destabilize Georgia, drag it into war, or impose so-called 'non-traditional values' represent a conscious attempt to deceive the public," the statement said at the time.

The background of the conflict

The ruling Georgian Dream party announced on Saturday that it had won all municipalities in the country of 3,7 million people, in elections boycotted by the two largest opposition blocs.

Georgia's pro-Western opposition has been protesting since October last year, when the Georgian Dream party won parliamentary elections that critics say were rigged. The ruling party has rejected allegations of voter fraud.

Once one of the most pro-Western countries to emerge from the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia's relations with the West deteriorated after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.