The executive secretary of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, Mamuka Mdinaradze, on Tuesday accused foreign politicians of encouraging “extremism” among opposition groups following recent protests in the capital challenging the results of October general elections.
Speaking at a press conference, Mdinaradze claimed that those foreign figures, “who visited Georgia in the days leading up to the protests”, had “incited opposition members to escalate tensions”.
Earlier this month, a delegation of parliamentarians from European Union member states, led by Lithuanian MP Žygimantas Pavilionis, visited Georgia. The ruling party refused to meet with the delegation, accusing them of “political bias” and of “sowing chaos under the guise of the EU’s name”.
Mdinaradze praised Georgia’s police and Interior Minister for handling the situation “professionally and peacefully”, emphasizing that a small group of opposition activists should not be allowed to “paralyze the country”.
He asserted that the state could not allow such actions to “undermine stability”, as police dispersed the opposition rally in central Tbilisi early on Tuesday and reportedly detained 16 demonstrators.
Addressing the comments of President Salome Zurabishvili, Mdinaradze reiterated the constitutional requirement for her to schedule the first session of the newly elected Parliament.
He warned that failure to do so within 10 days of the election results would be a violation of the Constitution. He further criticized the opposition for their refusal to enter Parliament, claiming their written statements had no legal weight at this stage, until the Parliament approved their authority during the first season.
