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Georgian president declares parliament illegal amid pro-EU protests

2024-11-30 22:45:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili branded the government illegitimate on Saturday and said she would not step down when her term ends next month, while Prime Minister Kobakhidze said he would not allow a revolution in the country.

The South Caucasus state has been gripped by protests, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's ruling "Georgian Dream" party announced a freeze on EU membership talks and a rejection of financial grants from Brussels until 2028.

Public opinion polls show a continuous and strong support of the citizens for the European integration of the country.

The freeze in talks has sparked protests across the country as Georgia has its aspirations for European Union membership written into its constitution.

During a speech on Saturday, President Zourabichvili, an EU supporter and critic of the Georgian Dream party, whose role is largely ceremonial, said parliament had no right to choose her successor when her term ends in December and that she would remain in office.

President Zourabichvili and other government critics say the Oct. 26 election, in which "Georgian Dream" won almost 54 percent of the vote, was rigged and that the parliament she elected is illegitimate.

"There is no legitimate parliament and therefore, an illegitimate parliament cannot elect a new president. Thus, no inauguration can take place and my mandate will continue until a legitimately elected parliament is formed," she said. .

Earlier, Prime Minister Kobakhidze described the protests as "violent demonstrations" adding that "foreign entities" want to see what he called the "Ukrainization" of Georgia through a "Maidan-type scenario", a reference to the revolution in 2014 in Ukraine.

Georgian authorities announced that they had arrested 107 people during protests on Friday evening in the capital Tbilisi against the government's decision to suspend talks on membership in the European Union.

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of cities two nights in a row, clashing with the police, who have used water and tear gas to disperse them.

The Associated Press news agency reported that on Friday, protesters in Tbilisi were chased and beaten by police as demonstrators gathered outside the parliament building.

According to this agency, the police used violence against media representatives and used loudspeakers to shout insults at the protesters.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Tbilisi on Saturday night amid a heavy police presence.

Hundreds of employees of the ministries of foreign affairs, defense, justice and education of Georgia, together with the country's central bank, have signed open letters condemning the decision to freeze the talks.

The decision to suspend EU membership talks closes months of deteriorating relations between the "Georgian Dream" party, which has faced accusations of authoritarian and pro-Russian tendencies, and the West./ VOA