Georgia: despite the government's retreat, the street keeps up the pressure and the president intervenes
Demonstrators carrying Georgian national flags gather again against a government bill, near the Georgian Parliament building in Tbilisi, March 9, 2023. AP - Zurab Tsertsvadze
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3 mins
Russia on one side, European Union on the other.
In the midst of war in Ukraine, Georgia, a democratic country in the Caucasus neighboring Russia, is in torment.
The Tbilisi government is accused of having proposed legislation inspired by Moscow on the subject of "foreign agents", a status likely to fall on organizations critical of the government.
The text has been removed, but the protests continue.
The country's president even praised the role that these mobilizations are currently playing in Georgia.
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Georgia is a former Soviet republic.
Russian is one of the official languages of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, territories which declared their independence in 2008 after a lightning war between Moscow and Tbilisi, under the Saakashvili presidency.
Georgia is a historically polarized country, and the situation can be difficult to decipher.
The party currently in power is accused of wanting to harden its grip, of muzzling the opposition, and of maintaining an ambiguous relationship with Russia, despite being pro-EU.
"
There are concerns that the Georgian Dream, in power since 2012, wants to transform the country into a one-party system
", summarizes for example Thomas de Waal, of the think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, quoted by the AFP.
Georgia has officially wanted to join the European Union for a long time.
But Brussels is asking Tbilisi in particular for reforms in the justice system and the electoral system, as well as genuine freedom of the press and the fight against the oligarchs.
The country was denied candidate status for integration in June, unlike Ukraine and Moldova.
The authorities “
declare that they are pro-EU.
But their actions demonstrate another scenario
,” according to Natia Seskuria, of the British institute Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
Symbol of this extreme polarization, since 2021, the pro-Western ex-president, currently a figure of the opposition, Mikheïl Saakashvili, has been detained for “
abuse of power
”, which he denounces for his part of political revenge.
► Listen again: Salomé Zurabishvili: "Russia has always counted on the division of Europeans"
A protester holds a stick with the Georgian and Ukrainian national flags during a rally against the government bill, opposite the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi, Thursday, March 9, 2023. AP - Zurab Tsertsvadze
“
I want to congratulate the company on its first victory
”
Georgian affairs are taking on another dimension these days.
This Thursday, the ruling party announced the withdrawal of a bill targeting NGOs and the media and which had triggered, over the past two days, massive demonstrations that were harshly repressed in the country.
And the President of Georgia hailed the “
victory
” of the demonstrators opposed to this text deemed repressive.
"
I want to congratulate society on its first victory, I am proud of these people who have made their voices heard
," said Salomé Zourabichvili, who is pro-Western and critical of the government in a televised address from New York. his country – his powers are limited.
Above all, opposition parties announced that they would continue to demonstrate against the government.
And thousands of people gathered Thursday evening in the capital, to continue to put pressure on the authorities.
As a result, in the wake of Mrs Zourabichvili's remarks, the Interior Ministry announced the release of demonstrators arrested since Tuesday.
It was one of the opposition's demands.
On the other hand, “
investigations are underway to determine, identify and arrest those who attacked the police
,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Faced with the latest unrest in Georgia, the Kremlin said it was "
concerned
" on Thursday.
But Moscow denies any connection to the “ foreign agents
” bill
.
"The
Kremlin has absolutely nothing to do with it
," said its spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
►Also read Georgia: parties call for demonstrations despite the withdrawal of the bill on "foreign agents"
(
With
AFP)
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Georgia
Russia
European Union
Salome Zurabishvili
Mikheil Saakashvili