Georgian PM accuses opposition of violent coup attempt, says EU spokesperson ‘openly supported revolution’

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has alleged that the opposition United National Movement (UNM) planned to return to power through a violent revolution, claiming the scenario failed despite what he described as “open support” from an EU spokesperson.

At a press briefing, Kobakhidze said the October 4 protest outside the presidential palace was intended as a coup attempt, involving around 5,000–7,000 “radical participants.” According to him, preventive measures and a swift police response thwarted what he called the opposition’s “fifth attempt in four years” to seize power unlawfully.

“There were ambitious plans on the part of the radical opposition. Their declared goal was to overthrow the government. Around 5,000–7,000 radicals were gathered with plans to take the presidential palace and move to other locations afterward. However, thanks to preventive measures and the highly effective actions of our police forces, we managed to avert another violent revolution attempt,” Kobakhidze said.

He further claimed that an EU spokesperson had “openly expressed support” for the UNM’s revolutionary goals, describing it as “clear evidence of bias” within European institutions.

Kobakhidze also criticized the opposition parties Lelo and For Georgia, claiming they were following instructions from what he called their “foreign patrons.” He pointed to their limited success in recent local elections - Lelo winning 58 seats in 64 councils and For Georgia securing 26 - as evidence that their political influence was minimal.

“Even with such weak results, they were instructed by their foreign patrons to use municipal councils as political platforms. Previously, they were told to sabotage Parliament after elections; now they’ve been given a different task,” he said.

The Prime Minister also accused the “opposition-aligned” television channel TV Pirveli of working in coordination with UNM to stage a “simple script” meant to create alibis for opposition figures accused of participating in the attempted coup.

“TV Pirveli is the UNM’s party television. Some opposition politicians, including Levan Sanikidze and Irakli Pavlenishvili, are trying to create alibis to avoid imprisonment. They even prefer to label themselves as traitors if it helps them escape responsibility,” Kobakhidze alleged.

He added that some opposition leaders “fled the scene like rats” during the violence near the presidential palace, accusing the media of helping them fabricate a legal defense.