Georgian president delivers pro-EU message at opposition rally as election looms

Lucy Papachristou
Sun 20 October 2024 






Georgian president delivers pro-EU message at opposition rally as election looms
Georgian opposition holds final rally before general election

By Lucy Papachristou

TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili addressed a crowd of thousands at rally in the capital on Sunday, delivering a strong pro-EU message just days before a fiercely-contested parliamentary election.

The crowds gathered in Tbilisi's central square represented "a free Georgia", she said.

"Here today is the society, the people, the Georgians who are going to Europe," said Zourabichvili, who has urged people to vote against the incumbent Georgian Dream party.

The Oct. 26 election is widely viewed as a test of whether Georgia returns to Russia's orbit or maintains its pro-Western orientation.

The EU last year granted candidate status to Georgia, a first stage towards eventual membership. But relations have worsened sharply since Georgian Dream passed a "foreign agent" law in May that critics say is evidence it is pivoting towards Russia.

Draped in EU and Georgian flags, Georgians converged on Freedom Square on Sunday to support the four main pro-Western opposition groups running next weekend.

Zourabichvili, who has largely ceremonial powers, was elected in 2018 with Georgian Dream's support but has since become one of its strongest critics.

She has been attempting to broker pacts among opposition groups to oust Georgian Dream, which domestic critics and the West accuse of derailing Tbilisi's prospects of joining the European Union.

As Zourabichvili spoke, unknown people shone lasers at her face from a nearby rooftop in an apparent attempt to distract her.

Activists said the election was an opportunity to seize a European future for themselves and their children.

"We want to live in Europe," said Liza Davitadze, 25, from the opposition Coalition for Change.

Brussels has said Georgia's accession process is "practically frozen" amid concerns of democratic backsliding, while Washington, a major aid donor, paused tens of millions of dollars in assistance this year citing similar concerns.

Many demonstrators said they saw the election as existential for the country.

"We are here because we are ready for changes," said Bachuki Tsitelidze, from Tbilisi.

Opinion polls show Georgian Dream remains the country's most popular party, though it has lost ground since 2020, when it won almost 50% of the vote and a narrow parliamentary majority.

(Reporting and writing by Lucy Papachristou; Additional reporting by Felix Light; Editing by Giles Elgood)


Tens of thousands rally in Georgia for EU ahead of pivotal vote
AFP UK
Sun 20 October 2024 at 11:39 am GMT-6

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Tens of thousands of Georgians on Sunday staged a pro-Europe rally, days before parliamentary elections seen as a crucial test for the country's democracy and its bid for EU membership.

Saturday's vote will pit an unprecedented alliance of pro-Western opposition forces against the ruling Georgian Dream party, accused by Brussels of shifting towards authoritarianism and derailing EU candidate Tbilisi from its European path.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators, waving EU and Georgian flags and holding banners that read "Georgia chooses the European Union" gathered at Tbilisi's central Freedom Square after marching towards the venue from five different locations, AFP journalists on the scene reported.

The crowd sang the country's national anthem and the Georgian lyrics to Europe's "Ode to Joy".

Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili -- at loggerheads with the government -- joined the rally, which she said "shows that Georgia has already won and will reintegrate with Europe".

She also addressed fellow EU-hopeful Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky: "You are fighting for Georgia as well. You will be victorious and we will enter the European Union together."

One of the demonstrators, 20-year-old university student Kote Tsintsandze said: "Georgia's fate is hanging by a thread. These elections will decide if we can finally break free from Georgian Dream's dictatorship.

"You can see here that the people are united in their determination to be where we belong -- Europe," he added.

Another demonstrator, 49-year-old nurse Lia Nemsadze, said: "This huge rally shows that people are rejecting Georgian Dream's pro-Russian government and choosing Europe.

"Look at this sea of EU flags. Where else in Europe are these flags held with such hope?"

- 'Path of EU membership' -

Several Georgian NGOs, including Georgia's European Orbit and the "My Voice to the EU" coalition, called on Georgians to stage a mass rally from 7:00 pm (1500 GMT).

"Choosing unity, development, and the European Union, Georgians will rally on October 20 (Sunday) and show their resolve to pursue the path of EU membership," organisers said on Facebook.

Brussels froze Georgia's EU accession process earlier this year after Georgian Dream lawmakers passed a controversial "foreign influence law" targeting civil society.

The adoption of the measure -- criticised as a Kremlin-style law to silence dissent -- sparked weeks of mass street protests and also prompted Washington to impose sanctions on dozens of Georgian officials.

Earlier this month, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell cautioned that Georgian Dream's actions "signal a shift towards authoritarianism".

He called the upcoming polls "a crucial test for democracy in Georgia and its European Union path".

Opinion polls suggest opposition parties are likely to garner enough votes in Saturday's election to form a coalition government and replace the ruling party, controlled by powerful billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Analysts have warned of the risk of turmoil if Georgian Dream attempts to hold onto power regardless of the vote's outcome.

In power since 2012, the party initially pursued a liberal pro-Western policy agenda, but over the last two years has reversed course and been accused of moving closer to Moscow.

Bids for membership of the EU and NATO are enshrined in Georgia's constitution and supported by some 80 percent of the population, according to multiple opinion polls commissioned by groups including the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.

im/bc

Thousands of Georgians join pro-EU march in Tbilisi ahead of next week's elections

Euronews
Sun 20 October 2024

Tens of thousands of Georgians have marched through the streets of the capital Tbilisi in a show of support for their country joining the European Union.

The rally comes just a week ahead of parliamentary elections, set to take place on 26 October, which are widely seen as a bellwether to determine if Georgia returns to Russia's orbit or continues on its pro-European path.

"It's the last gathering before the upcoming elections and this is not under any political banner, this is under the banner of the unity for European future of Georgia," said pro-EU protester, Nodar Kharshiladze.

Tens of thousands of pro-European protesters march through Tbilisi, 20 October, 2024 - Screenshot from EBU video 2024_10265731

"That's why it is important and that goes on behind the scene when the government is very actively undermining our European future. So, this is our kind of the answer, plus it is our voice to support Europe and of course it is also to show ourselves that that we are many and we are united."

Last year, the EU granted Georgia candidate country status but since then opposition supporters argue that the ruling Georgian Dream party has derailed the country's chances of joining the bloc.
Controversial legislation

Two recent pieces of legislation in particular raised eyebrows in Brussels.

Earlier this month, Georgia's parliament speaker signed a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ rights bill into law after President Salome Zourabichvili refused to endorse it.

The bill, which has been sharply criticised by human rights and LGBTQ+ groups, includes bans on same-sex marriages, adoptions by same-sex couples and limitations on the depiction of LGBTQ+ couples in the media.

It also bans gender-affirming care and changing gender designations in official documents — a move that activists say disproportionately impacts transgender people and is directly linked to anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in the country.

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said in a social media post that the legislation was "based on common sense, historical experience and centuries-old Christian, Georgian and European values."



And in May, parliament passed a controversial foreign agent law that requires media organisations and NGOs to register as foreign agents if they receive at least 20% of their funds from abroad, imposing hefty fines on those who fail to comply.

Georgia's governing authorities claim the new measure, which they have dubbed the "transparency law", will curb alleged foreign attempts to sway domestic politics.

However, critics dubbed it the 'Russian law' because they say it mirrors similar legislation adopted by the Kremlin to target, discriminate and ultimately outlaw political opponents.

President Salome Zourabichvili, who is pro-European, has long been at odds with the Georgian Dream party, which proposed both pieces of legislation, and refused to sign both bills into law.

Demonstrators march during an opposition rally ahead upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia, 20 October, 2024 - Zurab Tsertsvadze/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved

"I want to turn to our partners, Europeans or Americans, and tell them that we will be such a partner and ally as you can't even dream of when we enter Europe,” she said at the Tbilisi rally.

Both laws have been roundly criticised by the European Union, leading to the freezing of Georgia's EU accession process.

Some Georgians fear they are being drawn further into Moscow's orbit after more than three decades of independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Opinion polls show the Georgian Dream remains the country's most popular party, with some pollsters expecting them to take more than 40% of the vote.