Post: Springboard for the Maidan. How will Georgia pay for the repeal of the foreign agents law?

MOSCOW, March 10 – RIA Novosti, Mikhail Katkov. Parliament voted against the Foreign Agents Act. Thus, the “Georgian Dream” removed the main cause of popular discontent from the opposition. However, according to experts, the protests will not end there. What is Tbilisi preparing for – in the material of RIA Novosti.

one against all

The law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” was supported by only one deputy, Dito Samkharadze, from the “Georgian Dream”, while other party members abstained. 35 dissidents opposed. The second version of this document, nicknamed “American”, was completely disqualified.

Protest near the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi, 8 March 2023 - RIA Novosti, 1920, 03/10/2023
Protest in front of the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi, 8 March 2023

Georgian Dream President Irakli Kobakhidze said the bill “does its important work”. First, people realized that being a foreign agent is difficult. Second, everyone understood that non-governmental organizations were engaged in anti-government activities. Third, it is clear that foreign agents can no longer help the United National Movement come back to power.

Samkharadze emphasized that despite the voting results, the whole country sees who is who. “You have a spy seal on your forehead that you can never wash,” the MP added.

Vice-President Gia Volsky, one of the leaders of the ruling party, approves the withdrawal of the high-profile document. The authorities did not divide the society against the development of the country. But he is confident that the opposition will continue the protests, using every platform of agitation, from the street to the parliamentary rostrum.

“Transition to extreme violence”: what’s going on in Georgia?

appetite while eating

According to various sources, between 10,000 and 60,000 people attended the rallies in Tbilisi. The opposition accuses the authorities of straying from the pro-European route by trying to impose Russian “repressive” law.

In this context, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of Russia, noted that someone, who seems to be reaching out from the USA, is diligently trying to add anti-Russian elements to the situation in Georgia. He did not exclude further provocations.

Protesters near the Georgian Parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi

Indeed, the opposition has no intention of calming down. On the eve of the extraordinary meeting of parliament, one of the activists, calling himself a veteran, from the rostrum next to the National Assembly building demanded the dismissal of the government and the holding of early elections. The crowd supported him. Protesters sang the Ukrainian anthem, burned the Russian flag, expressed their readiness to return Abkhazia and South Ossetia to Georgia.

The West approves of all this. State Department spokesman Ned Price described the controversial bill as inconsistent with Georgian and Euro-Atlantic values. The EU Delegation to Georgia urged Tbilisi to return to pro-European reforms to achieve EU candidate status.

Protesters near the Georgian Parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi

subtotals

Police have detained 133 people and 132 have already been released. 58 Interior Ministry employees were injured in the incidents, five of them were hospitalized. Eyewitnesses speak of dozens or even hundreds of victims among the protesters – security forces responded to the activists’ aggression with tear gas and water cannons. Only one serious injury is known so far: a man lost an eye. Teimuraz Kupatadze, head of the Main Criminal Police Department, promised to investigate the incident.

Experts interviewed by RIA Novosti believe that the coup attempt is not over yet. According to Georgian political scientist Shota Apkhaidze, the aim of the West is to use the opposition to remove those who defend Georgian sovereignty from power. In addition, the new leadership will immediately announce anti-Russian sanctions, begin to supply Ukraine with weapons and open a second front against Russia in the South Caucasus.

Protest in front of the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi, 8 March 2023

“Even if the protests stop now, then they will flare up again. The West wants to bring what’s left of Saakashvili’s team, even the mentally unstable, to power,” Apkhaidze says.

Vadim Mukhanov, head of the Caucasus sector of IMEMO RAS, believes that the Georgian Dream is a springboard for the opposition with the foreign agents law they use. But now it is unknown whether thousands of protesters will take to the streets.

“I think two or three days wasn’t enough to set the community on fire. The protests will likely continue over the weekend, but the next working week will be the key week. It’s unclear whether the opposition will keep the fire going. After all, people gathered not for the politicians but for the feeling that someone’s freedom was violated,” he says. expert.

Barricades near the Georgian Parliament building in Tbilisi, March 9, 2023

Vladimir Novikov, head of the Caucasus department of the Institute of CIS Countries, considered the withdrawal of the bill a tactical defeat for the authorities, but is unsure whether the opposition will gain a strategic advantage from it. “Despite the decline in Georgian Dream’s ratings, Bidzina Ivanishivili still has a large clientele. Also, the opposition does not have bright leaders, and even if former president Mikheil Saakashvili is released, he will not be suitable for the role,” she says.

According to him, the Maidan threat will disappear if the opposition does not make street riots routine next week and set up a tent camp.

Police in front of the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi, March 8, 2023

Source: Ria

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Exit mobile version