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Article Body TextTBILISI, GEORGIA — <p>Tens of thousands of pro-Europe demonstrators rallied outside Georgia's parliament Tuesday night to celebrate the New Year, continuing month-long protests against the government. </p> <p>The Black Sea nation has been in the grip of an unprecedented constitutional crisis since the ruling Georgian Dream Party — widely perceived as increasingly repressive — claimed victory in October's parliamentary polls, which the pro-Western opposition denounced as rigged. </p> <p>The government's Nov. 28 decision to suspend EU accession talks for years triggered daily mass protests that continue to this day. </p> <p>On New Year's Eve, tens of thousands gathered outside parliament in central Tbilisi waving EU and Georgian flags — the latest outpouring of popular unity in the face of what critics say is the government's authoritarian pro-Russian tilt. </p> <p>Many demonstrators brought food to share and set up a festive table spanning dozens of meters on Tbilisi's main avenue decorated with Christmas lights, transforming the 34th consecutive day of protests into a New Year celebration. </p> <figure><img src="https://gdb.voanews.com/2092ac12-7587-481a-86ad-bd2abbc18dc5_cx0_cy7_cw100_w1600_r1_n_s.jpg" /><figcaption>A man opens a drink as other people gather in a street decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities on New Year's Eve outside of the Georgian parliament, in Tbilisi, Georgia, Dec. 31, 2024.</figcaption></figure> <p>"Tonight once again proves that the Georgian people will not allow a pro-Russian government to turn our country into a Russian-style despotism," said one demonstrator, 42-year-old Ilia Darsavelidze. </p> <p>"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin's puppets in Tbilisi are powerless against the will of our entire nation. We will reclaim our rightful place in Europe." </p> <p>Georgia's outgoing President Salome Zurabishvili — at loggerheads with the ruling party — joined the demonstrators. </p> <p>"2024 was the year of our unity, and 2025 will be the year of our victory," she told the crowd. </p> <p>Zurabishvili's mandate was meant to end on Dec. 29, when her successor and Georgian Dream loyalist Mikheil Kavelashvili was inaugurated as Georgia's next figurehead president, following a controversial election process. </p> <p>But Zurabishvili refused to step down, saying she remains the country's "only legitimate leader" until October's election is rerun. </p> <figure><img src="https://gdb.voanews.com/de97954c-454e-43fd-ac07-da4d11681ec2_cx0_cy5_cw100_w1600_r1_n_s.jpg" /><figcaption>Anti-government demonstrators protest against the Georgian government's postponement of European Union accession talks until 2028, outside the parliament in central Tbilisi on Jan. 1, 2025.</figcaption></figure> <p>She has earlier declared the new parliament and government "illegitimate," while opposition parties have refused to enter the new legislature. </p> <p>In the first 10 days of protests, riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators — some of whom threw fireworks and stones. </p> <p>The Interior Ministry reported more than 400 arrests, while the country's top human rights official, ombudsman Levan Ioseliani, and Amnesty International have accused security forces of "torturing" those detained. </p> <p>The reported police brutality has drawn growing international condemnation, with Washington and several European countries sanctioning Georgian Dream officials. </p> <p>The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland said on Tuesday that Georgian authorities should consider fresh elections as a way out of the country's political crisis. </p> <p>The Georgian Dream Party's government faces accusations of an authoritarian, pro-Russian shift that has undermined Georgia's EU bid, a goal enshrined in the constitution and supported by 80% of the population.</p>
Content TypeText
LanguageEnglish
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateDecember 31, 2024 16:56 EST
BylineAgence France-Presse
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
