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The nation's leader, Irakli Kobakhidze, has announced a comprehensive crackdown on political opposition, alleging demonstrators who tried to breach the official residence of aiming to overthrow his administration and pointing the finger at the EU for interference in Georgia's affairs.

The prime minister made these allegations just a day following demonstrators tried to enter the presidential palace during local elections. Riot police stopped them by using pepper spray and water jets.

"No one will avoid responsibility. This includes political responsibility," Kobakhidze was reported to state.

Officers detained at least several protesters, including representatives of the United National Movement and the vocal artist turned campaigner Paata Burchuladze.

Domestic news outlets cited the health ministry as saying that 21 police officers and 6 protesters had been hurt in confrontations in the heart of the capital.

Background of the Political Unrest

The South Caucasus country has been in turmoil since the prime minister's governing GD party declared win in last year's parliamentary election, which the pro-EU opposition asserts was stolen. From that point, Tbilisi's negotiations on joining the bloc have been halted.

The premier stated that up to seven thousand people attended the weekend's opposition rally but their "attempt to overthrow the constitutional order" had been prevented despite what he called support from the European Union.

"A number of people have already been arrested – first and foremost the leaders of the attempted coup," he told reporters, adding that the primary opposition group "will no longer be allowed from being active in the nation's political scene."

Opposition Appeals and Government Response

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

Thousands of demonstrators assembled in the heart of the city, waving Georgian and EU flags, after an extended period of targeted operations on independent media, limitations on civil society and the detention of many of critics and campaigners.

The prime minister blamed the European Union's representative to the country, Paweł Herczyński, of interference. "It is known that certain individuals from abroad have even expressed explicit backing for these actions, for the announced attempt to overthrow the legal government," he said, noting that the ambassador "bears special responsibility in this context."

"[Herczyński] should speak out, distance himself and strongly denounce everything that is happening on the streets of Tbilisi," stated the prime minister.

EU Response and Ongoing Political Strain

In the summer, the EU's diplomatic service rejected what it called "false information and unfounded claims" about the EU's alleged role in the nation.

The pro-western opposition have been staging protests since last October, when GD secured victory in a parliamentary election that its critics say was tainted by irregularities. The ruling group has denied accusations of electoral manipulation.

Georgia has the goal of EU accession written into its constitution and has long been one of the most pro-western of the Soviet Union's successor states. Its ties with the west have been strained since Moscow's military offensive of its neighbor in 2022.

Georgian Dream is directed by its creator, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the wealthiest individual and a ex-leader, and rejects it is aligned with Russia. It states it aims to enter the EU while preserving stability with Moscow.