05.10.2025 01:34
Some opposition parties in Georgia that do not recognize the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2024 declared today that they also do not consider the local elections legitimate and held a protest in the capital, Tbilisi. When the demonstrators attempted to storm the Presidential Palace, the police intervened with water cannons and tear gas.
```html
Thousands of protesters carrying the flags of Georgia and the European Union (EU) flocked to Freedom Square in the capital Tbilisi following the opposition's call to protest the local elections held today in Georgia.
MARCH TOWARDS THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
In Freedom Square, where a large number of police forces were deployed, it was observed that the protesters formed barricades and set them on fire. Following the announcement by Murtaz Zodeleva, a member of the United National Movement (UNM) among the rally organizers, that the people would reclaim the Presidential Palace, a crowd of protesters began to march.
POLICE INTERVENED WITH WATER CANNONS AND TEAR GAS
The riot police intervened with water cannons and tear gas against the protesters on Atoneli Street near the Presidential Palace. Police forces also intervened against protesters who attempted to forcibly enter the Presidential Palace grounds just minutes before the polls closed in the local elections. The police used tear gas to disperse the protesters there.
PRIME MINISTER KOBAKHIDZE: ALL FOREIGN AGENTS WILL BE NEUTRALIZED
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated in his remarks regarding the protests, "After today's riots, all foreign agents in Georgia will be neutralized. The protesters who attempted to storm the Presidential Palace have committed a crime."
GOVERNING PARTY DECLARED VICTORY
In the local elections, where 8 parties declared a boycott, the Georgian Dream Party announced its victory through a message shared on social media, while some of the protesters marched to the headquarters of the ruling party, Georgian Dream. Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze from Georgian Dream described the events on Atoneli Street as "a direct coup attempt." Kaladze also stated that those responsible would receive the necessary response.
SUPPORT FOR PROTESTERS FROM MOLDOVA
Moldovan President Maia Sandu expressed her support for the pro-Western protesters in a message shared on social media, stating, "Our thoughts are with the people of Georgia who stand up for their freedoms and their future in Europe. Democracy cannot be silenced. Moldova is with you."
THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN UNDER PROTEST FOR A YEAR
The ruling party Georgian Dream, accused of being pro-Russian, has been the target of pro-Western protests since winning the parliamentary elections in October last year. The protests intensified especially after Georgian Dream announced about 10 months ago that it would halt the country's EU integration process.
Opposition members, who claim that the general elections held last year were fraudulent, accuse the Georgian Dream government of adopting laws that restrict civil society to suppress the ongoing protests for months and imprisoning many activists and political rivals.
The expectation that Brussels may decide to end the visa-free travel arrangement that Georgian citizens have benefited from since 2017 has also contributed to the increasing tension between the government and the opposition in the country.
FORMER PRESIDENT SAAKASHVILI CALLED ON OPPONENTS TO PROTEST
Imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili had called on Georgian opponents to protest, claiming that October 4, the day of the local elections, was the "last chance" to save the country. In a message he shared on social media last Thursday, Saakashvili said, "There are moments when immediate action is required. For freedom, it is now or never."
```