Massive Protests Erupt in Georgia Following Withdrawal of EU Membership Bid

A wave of resignations among high-ranking officials, including Georgia’s ambassadors to Italy, the Netherlands, and Lithuania, has erupted in response to controversial government actions. Deputy Foreign Minister Temur Janjali also stepped down in protest.

“These developments go beyond previous public demonstrations,” remarked Tinatin Akhvlediani, a senior researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies’ EU foreign policy unit. “The ruling Georgian Dream party is in a precarious position. With overwhelming public support for joining the EU, it’s difficult for them to justify their recent moves, and they seem intent on using every tool available to suppress dissent.”

On Saturday night, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who has previously accused the ruling party of tampering with the parliamentary elections in October, declared the government no longer has a mandate to govern. Labeling the unrest as “stability, not a revolution,” she urged the EU to step in and oversee fresh elections.

Last Thursday, the European Parliament passed a resolution asserting that Georgia’s recent elections were “neither free nor fair,” aligning with observations from international election monitors. The Georgian Dream party secured a significant majority despite mounting criticism of its pivot away from the EU amid strong public desire for EU membership.

Nathalie Loiseau, a French MEP and vice-chair of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association, told POLITICO that the EU’s new leadership—foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, incoming European Council President Antonio Costa, and enlargement commissioner Marta Kos—must urgently address the issue. “I strongly urge them to visit Tbilisi, engage with the President and protesters, and press for new elections,” Loiseau said.

The EU froze Georgia’s membership application in July after Georgian Dream introduced a series of Russian-style laws, including measures labeling Western-backed NGOs as “foreign agents” and restricting LGBTQ+ rights. Protests against these policies were met with force, as authorities deployed tear gas and batons to disperse demonstrators and detained numerous opposition figures, some of whom reported being subjected to beatings.

The U.S. responded by imposing sanctions on Georgian Dream politicians and senior police officials due to the violent crackdown.

Meanwhile, Gina Romero, the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of assembly, called the weekend’s reports of police violence “deeply troubling.” She urged Georgian Dream leaders to uphold the public’s right to peaceful protest and assembly.