The head of one of Georgia’s primary opposition groups, the United National Movement (UNM), has stated that targeted sanctions from the European Union would “create significant pressure” on Georgian state institutions involved in the suppression of pro-EU demonstrators in the capital, Tbilisi.
“We also rely on the West to support the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Georgian populace and to move beyond mere expressions of concern to actionable steps against a government that seeks to undermine Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future,” Tina Bokuchava shared with RTÉ News.
In Brussels yesterday, EU foreign ministers resolved to suspend visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats, but they refrained from implementing targeted sanctions on Georgian officials associated with the repression of recent protests.
Hungary and Slovakia vetoed this initiative.
Yesterday marked the 19th consecutive day of protests by pro-EU supporters in Tbilisi, sparked by the Georgian Dream-led government’s decision in late November to cease the country’s EU accession talks.
Over the past three weeks, Tbilisi police have arrested more than 400 protesters, many of whom have reported instances of excessive force used by law enforcement.
The Georgian Ministry of Interior stated that more than 150 police officers have sustained injuries amid the protests.
The ruling government indicated that its decision to halt accession discussions was in response to criticism from EU institutions regarding the management of the parliamentary election held on October 26.
Last month, the European Parliament passed a resolution deeming October’s election “neither free nor fair” and called for a re-run of the election.
Ms. Bokuchava asserted that her party views October’s parliamentary election as “illegitimate” and not reflective of the “free will of the Georgian people”.
She also mentioned that her party will not acknowledge Georgia’s new president-elect, Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was chosen by politicians in the country’s parliament last Saturday.
Georgian president-elect Mikheil Kavelashvili
A coalition of four pro-EU opposition parties is demanding a re-run of October’s parliamentary election and boycotted the vote on Saturday to elect Mr. Kavelashvili—the only candidate—as Georgia’s new president. He is set to assume office on December 29.
“We believe that the current parliament lacks national and international legitimacy, and therefore we do not recognize this parliament as representative of the Georgian people,” Ms. Bokuchava stated.
Georgian Dream has asserted that the October election was conducted fairly.
The party, founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, has been at the helm of Georgia since 2012 and has grown increasingly critical of the West in recent years, implementing a series of illiberal laws that conflict with the country’s aspirations to join the EU.
Government opponents accuse it of steering Georgia toward a more autocratic governance model and into the orbit of Russia.
“We could have already been in accession discussions with the European Union, and regrettably, EU ministers must convene to contemplate actions such as personalized, targeted sanctions against Ivanishvili and his associates, who are willfully attempting to derail Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future,” Ms. Bokuchava remarked.
Read more: Georgia elects hardline critic of the West as new president
The political crisis in the Black Sea nation appears poised to intensify after December 29, the date Mr. Kavelashvili is scheduled to take office as president.
The incumbent President Salome Zourabichvili, a supporter of the current protesters and an advocate for a re-run of the parliamentary election, has stated she will not relinquish her position post-December 29.
Georgia received candidate status from the EU in December 2023, but a previous crackdown by Georgian authorities on mass protests in May against the government’s so-called “foreign agent” bill caused the EU to suspend accession talks in June.
This new law, which resembles legislation enacted by the Kremlin, mandates that organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad must register as entities representing the interests of a foreign power.
