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South Caucasus News

The Daily Beat: 11 November


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The senior lawmakers from eight European Union countries (Germany, France, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, and Finland) visited Georgia and met with President Salome Zurabishvili, opposition party representatives, and civil society organizations. Georgian MPs and government officials have refused to meet with the delegation. Late in the evening, the European lawmakers addressed the protesters gathered in front of the parliament building, expressing solidarity and calling on them not to give up.


The ruling party General Secretary and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, along with the other GD representatives, slammed the European lawmakers’ visit to Georgia, describing them as “idle people” who roam from country to country. “These people do not respect our country, our statehood, and the Georgian people. Their statements and actions hold no value,” said Kaladze while commenting on the EU MPs’ visit to Tbilisi.


Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili also reacted to the visit by the EU countries’ key parliamentarians by denouncing the visit, saying he refused to meet with them and lashing out at “some members of the delegation” for what he called “publicly campaigning against Georgia’s ruling party and in support of the opposition.” 


While protests against the rigged elections continue in Tbilisi, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze visited Baku, where he attended the 29th UN Climate Change Conference. Within the Conference, PM Kobakhidze held a meeting with Ilham Aliev, the President of Azerbaijan. According to the Georgian PM, the leaders discussed sectoral cooperation and further deepening of partnerships in various projects, with a special focus on energy and energy security.


From Baku, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze issued a warning to opposition parties, stating that they could be outlawed if they continue to undermine the constitutional order. He further noted that even a small group of ruling Georgian Dream MPs could initiate a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court to file such a complaint. “During the pre-election period, we talked about declaring the opposition parties unconstitutional… If these people continue on this path, we may take this step even without a constitutional majority” PM Kobakhidze told journalists.


Former high-ranking Georgian state and political officials (including two speakers of parliament and a prime minister), cabinet ministers, ambassadors, and former members of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, civil society movements, scientific and artistic circles, professional associations, think tanks, and their representatives issued a joint statement to the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and EU member states. They claim that Georgian sovereignty and its independent future are under an “existential threat” after the October 26 elections.


The President’s Administration announced that the President has pardoned 11 convicted individuals. Among these, 3 individuals had their remaining prison sentences reduced. Additionally, the act of amnesty also applied to 8 individuals who were on probation, resulting in their full release from any further conditional imprisonment.