Protests in Tbilisi met with heavy police response after election boycott

A heavy police presence persisted in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Sunday, one night after intense clashes between police and protesters.

Police used water cannons and pepper spray on Saturday to push back protesters who attempted to storm the presidential palace as the country held a municipal election boycotted by the main opposition blocs.

Tens of thousands rallied in Tbilisi to protest repressive policies by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which they say is trying to pull Georgia away from European Union membership.

Georgian Dream halted talks about joining the bloc last year over what politicians described as "blackmail and manipulation" from some of the bloc's politicians. The decision triggered waves of protests that have been met with mass arrests and police violence.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze maintains that Georgia's path toward EU membership "remains steady and irreversible" and that the ball is in Brussels' court.

Saturday's protest was planned by activists, who dubbed it a "National Assembly" against what they called "political backsliding in Georgia."

Eight opposition parties refused to participate in the local elections scheduled for Saturday, held one year after a key parliamentary election, which Georgian Dream won.

The rally’s organisers, including veteran opera singer Paata Burchuladze, called on protesters to “take power back into the hands of the people.”

Some protesters tried to force entry into the presidential palace in central Tbilisi, smashing the gate before being driven away by riot police.

Georgian police on Saturday said the ongoing rally violated Georgian laws that regulate public assemblies and protests.

Shortly after polls closed on Saturday evening, Georgia’s Central Election Commission said that the vote had passed with no major disturbances. It added that the results would be announced within hours.

More than 50 international and local groups were registered to observe the municipal vote.

But none of the major international watchdogs that monitored the previous local vote in 2021 — including delegations from the European Parliament, the OSCE and major US nonprofits — were present this time.