The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party says that its members in city assemblies elected back in 2017, who were in the majority, have approved the 2022 budget in several municipalities before new city assemblies gathered there to prevent provocations by the opposition who are now in the majority in six out of 64 municipalities. 

Members of the 2017 convocation of city assemblies in Batumi, Zugdidi, Senaki, Martvili and Chkhorotskhu approved the 2022 municipal budget before city assemblies elected this year held its first session on December 3. 

Except Senaki, the GD failed to win a majority in four other city assemblies in the October 2021 municipal elections. 

Sozar Subari from the ruling party said at a briefing earlier today that if they waited for the gathering of new city assemblies, where the opposition is in majority, the opposition, ‘which is always eager to cause unrest’, would reject the budget drafts and cause destabilisation. 

“The unrest would finally affect the local population and their interests,” Subari said. 

The opposition have  protested the move. 

The police arrested six opposition activities earlier today who were protesting the approval of budgets