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Georgia’s prime minister said the president should resign this month as the South Caucasus republic’s political crisis deepens and rejected U.S. accusations that his government acted undemocratically in stalling EU accession talks.
Prime Minister Irakli Kovacidze’s comments on Sunday mark a deepening confrontation with President Salome Djoravichvili, a leading opposition figure who declared on Saturday that he plans to remain in office despite his term officially ending on December 16.
Protesters, who have repeatedly clashed with police during one of Georgia’s fiercest protest movements in decades, took to the streets of cities across the country on Sunday night for a fourth straight day of rallies against Kovacidze’s government.
The prime minister said Zoravicvili would have to leave his Orbeliani Palace residence in the capital Tbilisi and “hand over this building” to the new president after he was elected on December 14 by an electoral college that includes members of parliament.
Prime Minister Zorovicvili said he “fought for the victory of the radical opposition” in last month’s general election, adding, “I thought this would guarantee her a chance to stay in office, but she lost.”
In a national address on Saturday night, Zorabicvili argued that an “illegitimate parliament” cannot elect a president.
“Therefore, the inauguration cannot take place, and my powers will continue until a duly elected Congress is formed to elect my successor,” she said.
Earlier this month, Kovacidze’s ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party announced that it had won the general election with 54% of the vote. But Brussels and Washington have expressed concerns about the legitimacy of the results because of reports of intimidation, ballot stuffing and fraud at polling places.
The European Parliament passed a resolution calling for new elections and sanctions against key Georgian politicians, including oligarch and GD founder Bizina Ivanishvili.
GD has been in power since 2012 and has gradually expanded its influence over almost all institutions of the state and brought them back into the Russian orbit.
On Saturday, the U.S. State Department presentation The United States and Georgia suspended their strategic partnership, saying “various anti-democratic acts violated core principles.”
“By suspending Georgia’s EU accession process, we have denied the Georgian Dream an opportunity to build closer ties with Europe and made Georgia more vulnerable to the Kremlin,” the United States said in a statement.
Kobakhidze dismissed the suspension of the partnership as “temporary,” saying “we will discuss everything” with the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, with whom his government already has “indirect contact.”
“No matter what Trump says, it’s going to happen. “So the most important thing for us is our relationship with Donald Trump.”
Hundreds of anti-government protesters have been detained in recent days, and the Interior Ministry said 44 people, including 16 police officers, were hospitalized following Saturday’s protests.
Protesters oppose the government’s decision to put talks with the EU on hold and reject EU funding until 2028.
Ketevan Chachava, head of the Center for Development and Democracy, a Tbilisi-based non-governmental organization, said the crackdown “appears calculated to intimidate the opposition, but risks further stoking public anger.”
Many in the Georgian opposition believe Russia is involved in alleged election rigging. “Russia wants to capture us, and this is what is happening now,” said Eka Gigauri, head of Transparency Georgia, another NGO.
Brussels halted accession talks for Georgia this summer because of controversial “foreign agent” laws that critics say were inspired by President Vladimir Putin’s Russia. NGOs and media that receive foreign funding must register with the government or face fines.
According to opinion polls by local and international research institutes, more than 80% of Georgia’s 3.8 million people support EU membership.
Despite the GD’s fierce anti-Western rhetoric, it came to power in 2017 when Georgia enshrined its aspirations for EU membership in its constitution. GD recently supported membership in NATO as well as EU membership in this month’s parliamentary elections.
