Mass protest hits Georgian capital after local elections: As it happened

https://www.rt.com/russia/625905-mass-protest-hits-georgian-capital/

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Protesters have breached the grounds of the presidential palace, prompting police to use tear gas

Protests have erupted in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, following the closure of polls in the country's local elections. Crowds have breached the grounds of the presidential palace, scuffling with police who have used pepper spray and deployed water cannons to repel them.

Early election result projections indicate the ruling Georgian Dream party has held a solid lead across the country, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said.

The polls were partially boycotted by the opposition, which had earlier pledged to stage a “peaceful revolution,” though their supporters have massed on the capital's main street since the early afternoon.

The vote comes after almost a year of nonstop protests that erupted in response to Georgian Dream's decision to suspend the country's EU candidacy process for the next four years, after winning the last parliamentary election.

“The opening of negotiations is now being used as a tool to blackmail our country and divide our society, just as [EU] candidate status was previously used,” Kobakhidze has said.

The protesters completely blocked traffic on Melikishvili Avenue and unfurled banners with the slogan “When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty!” as well as Georgian national flags. They could also be heard chanting, “Georgia, Georgia!”

The protesters accuse the government, including Kobakhidze and Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, of close ties to Russia. Georgian Dream, having secured a strong majority in last October’s parliamentary election, has repeatedly accused Western powers of meddling under the guise of promoting democracy.

Officials have said that tactics are being directed against Tbilisi that were used in the lead up to the 2014 Maidan coup in Ukraine, over a perceived refusal by the government to take a more aggressive stance towards Russia. Moscow, which has denied any involvement in Georgia’s internal affairs, has also drawn a parallel between the ongoing events and the 2014 Ukrainian coup in which far-right extremists murdered over 70 protesters and police officers.

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