Georgian president will have to resign despite rejection — PM
TBILISI, December 1. /TASS/. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili will have to leave the presidential palace on the day of the inauguration of the new head of state on December 29, despite her statements that she will not relinquish her powers, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said.
“I understand her [Zourabichvili’s] emotional situation, but of course on December 29 she will have to leave her residence and hand over this building to the legitimately elected president,” Kobakhidze said at a briefing.
On Saturday, Zourabichvili said that she would not resign despite the expiration of her mandate because the parliament is “illegitimate.”
Georgia’s parliament on November 26 approved the scheduling of presidential elections for December 14 and the inauguration for December 29. Later, the ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party named lawmaker Mikhail Kavelashvili as its presidential candidate.
Protesters in Tbilisi tossing stones at riot police
TBILISI, December 1. /TASS/. Protesters in downtown Tbilisi are tossing stones at riot police guarding the parliamentary building, a TASS correspondent reported from the site.
The police are using pepper spays against the demonstrators.
Another anti-government rally is being held near the parliamentary building in Tbilisi. Several thousand people have blocked traffic along Rustaveli Avenue in front of the building. They are demanding the government resignation and rerun parliamentary elections. According to the TASS correspondent, the rally is being attended by less people than in previous days.
Another wave of protests was sparked by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement on November 28 when he said that the ruling Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party had decided to postpone any talk about launching accession negotiations until late 2028 and decline any funding from the European Union. According to the premier, the decision comes after repeated attempts by the EU to blackmail Georgia with promises of launching the talks in exchange for Tbilisi revoking certain laws passed by the country’s parliament.
EU’s new foreign policy chief voices support for protesters in Tbilisi while visiting Kiev
BRUSSELS, December 1. /TASS/. The European Union’s new foreign policy chief, Kaia Kallas, has voiced support for the anti-government forces in Georgia while paying a visit to Kiev on her first day in office.
On her X page, she condemned “the violence against protesters,” who staged riots and clashed with the police in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi, describing the actions of the rioters as the Georgian people’s “choice for a European future” and expressing support for them. She also condemned the Georgian ruling party’s decision to suspend the process of the country’s accession to the EU and expressed regret with “democratic backsliding of the country.”
“This will have direct consequences from EU side,” she warned.
Georgia saw large-scale protests in the past two days. In the early hours on November 29 and 30, protest rallies grew into clashes with the police who used water cannon and teargas to disperse the crowds. According to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, this was a response “to the use of violence by the protesters.”
Another anti-government rally was held in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi on Saturday evening. Later, the rally turned into a scuffle with the police. The interior ministry decided to disperse the protesters and ousted the protesters from nearby streets.
The protest was sparked by Kobakhidze’s statement on November 28. He said that the ruling party had decided to postpone any talk about launching accession negotiations until late 2028 and decline any funding from the European Union. According to the premier, the decision comes after repeated attempts by the EU to blackmail Georgia with promises of launching the talks in exchange for Tbilisi revoking certain laws passed by the country’s parliament.
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