Georgia's prime minister accuses opposition of attempting to topple him and vows further crackdown

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused the opposition of trying to topple his government and vowed a further crackdown on dissent on Sunday, just hours after the ruling party claimed a landslide win in local elections snubbed by its main rivals.

Tens of thousands of people protested in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on polling day against the government’s repressive policies, and what they see as Georgia’s steady drift into Russia’s orbit.

Protesters were met with fierce opposition as police deployed riot units and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds who attempted to breach the presidential palace.

Kobakhidze’s Georgian Dream party claimed victory in every municipality across the South Caucasus country in local elections on late Saturday, elections that were boycotted by the two main opposition blocs, who refused to participate, viewing the incumbent government as “illegitimate”.

Dozens of protesters were arrested in mass police crackdowns over the weekend as demonstrators demanded Kobakhidze’s resignation, a pivot towards Europe and a political decoupling from Russia.

The protests were part of regular demonstrations that have rocked the Black Sea country since November last year after the Georgian premier suspended EU accession talks, despite it being a cherished goal for many Georgians that has been enshrined in the country’s constitution.

In a press briefing on Sunday, Kobakhidze called the protests a culmination of months of attempts to overthrow his government.

Georgian officials have repeatedly sought to present the protests as coordinated and funded from abroad, often citing statements from European officials in support of the movement.

The Georgian prime minister slammed that rhetoric, vowing to “completely neutralise foreign agents”, as he accused EU officials and diplomats of meddling in the country’s internal politics by voicing support for protests against him.

Kobakhidze also noted that he was prepared to engage in dialogue for the sake of the country and move on from a chapter of protests that has severely hampered his government.

“I am ready to forget everything, to reset relations, to start from a clean slate. … We are ready for friendship and relations with everyone,” he said.

In an online statement on Sunday, the EU’s diplomatic service said the bloc “firmly rejects and condemns the disinformation against the EU’s role in Georgia.”

The statement released on Sunday by the EU’s diplomatic service said Georgian Dream’s repressive policies had “drastically reduced the possibility of having competitive elections.” It was signed by the bloc’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos.

“We call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained. We urge calm and restraint in the post-election period and call on the authorities to uphold citizens’ rights to freedom of assembly and expression,” said the statement.

“A constructive and inclusive dialogue involving all political actors and civil society is essential, and we call on every side to refrain from violence.”

More than 50 international and local groups were registered to observe Saturday’s municipal vote. But none of the major international watchdogs – which monitored the previous local vote in 2021 — including delegations from the European Parliament, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and major US nonprofits were present this time.