Riot police clash with protesters outside Tbilisi presidential palace amid election unrest

Riot police in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, used water cannons, pepper spray, and tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters outside the presidential palace on Saturday as tensions flared during municipal elections.

The Eastern European country, sandwiched between Russia and Turkey, has slipped into crisis since the ruling Georgian Dream party announced its victory in last year’s parliamentary election, which pro-European Union opposition parties claim was stolen. The government has also stalled any talks of joining the European Union.

Now, people have stormed the streets of Georgia after opposition parties boycotted the civic body polls in protest against alleged fraud in last year’s national election.

Thousands of demonstrators, many waving Georgian, European Union, and Ukrainian flags, had gathered on Saturday in the capital’s Freedom Square and along Rustaveli Avenue, accusing the ruling Georgian Dream party of authoritarianism and pro-Russian leanings. Some opposition leaders called for a “peaceful revolution” to remove the government.

One of the protest organisers, opera singer Paata Burchuladze, demanded the arrest of six senior members of the ruling party and called on the Internal Affairs Ministry to bow to the will of the people while reading out a declaration.

Clashes erupted when a group of masked protesters tried to breach security barriers near the palace. Police in riot gear responded with force, deploying armoured vehicles as rioters set fire to chairs and barricaded nearby streets. In one video, a protester wearing a helmet is seen standing before the police, holding both the Georgian and European Union flags.

The latest unrest came as polls closed in local elections that were boycotted by Georgia’s two largest opposition blocs. The GD party later declared victory in every municipality across the country of 3.7 million.

Protests have been ongoing since October last year, when opposition groups alleged fraud in the parliamentary elections. Critics accuse GD—widely seen as influenced by its billionaire founder and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili—of steering the nation away from its pro-Western course.

Once a leading candidate for EU integration, Georgia’s ties with the West have cooled since Russia’s war in Ukraine began. The government froze EU accession talks after last year’s disputed vote, a move that helped fuel the wave of demonstrations now engulfing the country.

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