Georgia has entered its fourth consecutive night of street protests and public resignations, sparked by the ruling party’s decision to delay efforts to start negotiations on joining the European Union.
As tens of thousands of Georgians took to the streets again in several cities, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused the protesters of being misled by opposition lies and rejected calls for new elections. He confirmed that Georgia’s ambassador to the US, David Zalkaliani, had resigned under significant pressure, becoming the latest high-ranking official to step down.
Kobakhidze denied the reasons behind the protests, claiming on Sunday that “we have not suspended anything, it’s a lie.” Just three days earlier, his party, Georgian Dream, had accused the EU of using membership talks as “blackmail,” announcing that the government would not prioritize the EU accession issue until at least 2028.
Despite the Prime Minister’s statements, pro-EU demonstrators gathered in large numbers again on Sunday evening, and when fireworks were aimed at the parliament building and riot police, the authorities responded with water cannons. Riot police stationed in side streets near parliament eventually dispersed the protests early on Monday. During the unrest, several people were detained, including Zurab Japaridze, leader of the opposition coalition, Coalition for Change.
Georgia’s interior ministry reported 21 injured officers, while President Salome Zourabichvili, who supports the opposition, condemned the treatment of arrested protesters, alleging they had been beaten and sustained serious injuries. The EU and the US have criticized Georgia’s increasingly authoritarian government for democratic backsliding, with the US suspending its strategic partnership with the country on Saturday.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze, however, reiterated that Georgian Dream remains “committed to European integration” and continues its “path to the European dream.”
Despite this claim, several ambassadors have resigned, and hundreds of civil servants, including over 3,000 teachers, have signed letters denouncing the government’s decision to put EU accession on hold. Many Georgians have also expressed shock at the level of violence directed at protesters and journalists. Dozens of reporters have been attacked or pepper-sprayed, some requiring hospital treatment.
Georgia’s human rights ombudsman, Levan Ioseliani, condemned the actions of the police as “brutality,” urging them not to abuse their power. Kobakhidze, however, insisted it was opposition groups—not the police—who had been responsible for “systemic violence.”
Natalie Sabanadze, former Georgian ambassador to the EU, now at Chatham House in the UK, stated that the violent crackdown, the wave of resignations, and increasing civil disobedience signaled a “qualitative change” in the protests. “Maybe [the government] thought people would be scared, but it’s not working out like this,” she said, referencing the occupation of the public broadcaster by civil society activists and artists—a scene reminiscent of pre-revolutionary Georgia in 2003.
As President Zourabichvili prepares to leave office in a few weeks, her role as a figurehead against the government has grown stronger. She and the protesters accuse the government of pushing Georgia closer to Russia, despite widespread public support for EU membership.
Georgia, with a population of around 3.7 million, also faces the challenge of 20% of its territory being under Russian military occupation in two breakaway regions.
Meanwhile, protests continued during the day on Sunday, with a small group of demonstrators blocking a traffic intersection in front of Tbilisi State University. One protester, Salome, 29, said, “I’m here for my country’s future and the future of my three-year-old son. I don’t want him to spend his life at protests and I don’t want a Russian government.”
While Georgian Dream denies any ties to Russia, it has recently passed laws reminiscent of Russian policies, including restrictions on civil society groups funded by foreign sources and LGBT rights. Near the protest, workers were scrubbing graffiti from the walls of the Georgian parliament, some of which had been smashed during protests, while an effigy of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire behind Georgian Dream’s 12 years in power, was set on fire.
The escalating political and constitutional crisis raises questions about what comes next. Relations between Georgia’s government and its Western allies are severely strained, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that the government’s actions would “have direct consequences” from the EU. The US suspension of its strategic partnership will also have significant repercussions.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze dismissed President Zourabichvili’s call for new elections, stating, “Mrs. Salome Zourabichvili has four Fridays left [as president] and she can’t get used to it. I understand her emotional state, but of course, on 29 December she’ll have to leave.”
