Georgians rally for Europe as crucial election looms
On Sunday in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, thousands of people took part in a march under the slogan "Georgia chooses the European Union". The demonstration included the participation of the country's pro-Western president, Salome Zurabishvili. Georgia is set to hold crucial parliamentary elections on this matter next Saturday.
Supporters of the country's pro-European direction gathered in five locations in the capital and marched to Freedom Square in the city centre, where a massive demonstration was held, as reported by the Echo of the Caucasus portal (the Georgian editorial team of Radio Free Europe) and the apsny.ge service.
The demonstration began with the national anthems of Georgia and the EU being sung.
The President of Georgia took to the streets and appealed to the demonstrators
The event, organised by non-governmental organisations, was supported by President Zurabishvili and the opposition. On Saturday, the president announced that she would participate in the demonstration and urged Georgians to cast their votes on 26 October for one of the opposition blocs.
She also encouraged citizens not to fear intimidation or threats.
Do not fear anything; we are on the right track, and we will achieve our goal through peaceful elections – she stated.
The majority of Georgia's residents support integration with the European Union and oppose closer ties with Russia. Both the opposition and the president are pro-Western. In December 2023, the country received candidate status for the EU.
The Georgian Dream party, led by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and ruling since 2012, is accused of steering Georgia towards Russia, dismantling democratic institutions and weakening the country's pro-Western trajectory. The group faces criticism from the West, including over the adoption of the so-called law against foreign agents.
The opposition and civil society fear that election results may be manipulated, leading to mass demonstrations that may be suppressed by the police.
