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The nation's prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, has unveiled a comprehensive suppression on political opposition, accusing demonstrators who attempted to storm the official residence of seeking to topple his administration and blaming the EU for meddling in the country's affairs.

Kobakhidze made these allegations just a day following protesters attempted to breach the presidential building during municipal polls. Security forces halted their advance by employing pepper spray and water cannon.

"Not a single person will escape responsibility. This encompasses political accountability," Kobakhidze was reported to state.

Officers arrested at least several demonstrators, including two members of the United National Movement and the vocal artist turned activist Paata Burchuladze.

Local media reported the ministry of health as stating that 21 members of the security forces and 6 protesters had been injured in confrontations in the heart of the capital.

Context of the Political Unrest

The nation of Georgia has been in upheaval since the prime minister's governing Georgian Dream party declared win in last year's parliamentary election, which the European-leaning opposition asserts was stolen. From that point, Tbilisi's negotiations on entering the European Union have been frozen.

The premier said that up to 7,000 people participated in the weekend's protest gathering but their "effort to overthrow the government" had been thwarted despite what he called EU backing.

"Several people have been detained – primarily the leaders of the attempted overthrow," he informed reporters, adding that the country's main opposition force "will be barred from operating in Georgian politics."

Protest Movement Appeals and Administration Response

Opposition figures had urged a "non-violent uprising" against GD, which they accuse of being pro-Russian and authoritarian. The party has been in power since 2012.

A large crowd of protesters assembled in the heart of the city, displaying Georgian and EU flags, after an extended period of targeted operations on independent media, restrictions on non-governmental groups and the arrest of dozens of opponents and campaigners.

The prime minister blamed the EU's ambassador to Georgia, Paweł Herczyński, of meddling. "It is known that specific people from overseas have publicly stated explicit backing for these actions, for the declared effort to overthrow the legal government," he remarked, noting that the ambassador "holds particular accountability in this situation."

"[Herczyński] should come out, dissociate himself and strongly denounce everything that is occurring on the city's avenues," said Kobakhidze.

European Union Position and Ongoing Geopolitical Strain

In the summer, the EU's diplomatic service dismissed what it called "disinformation and unfounded claims" about the Union's supposed involvement in the nation.

The pro-western opposition have been staging protests since the previous autumn, when Georgian Dream won a national vote that its opponents claim was marred by fraud. The party has denied accusations of electoral manipulation.

Georgia has the goal of EU accession enshrined in its founding document and has long been among the most pro-western of the former Soviet republics. Its ties with the Western nations have been under pressure since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Georgian Dream is directed by its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the wealthiest individual and a ex-leader, and denies it is pro-Moscow. It states it wants to join the EU while preserving stability with Moscow.