Georgia’s People’s Power party accuses EU Ambassador of political meddling

A Georgian parliamentary faction aligned with the ruling party with anti-Western sentiments on Monday accused the European Union’s ambassador to Georgia of interfering in domestic affairs and supporting opposition forces.

In a statement, the People’s Power party formed by former Georgian Dream MPs, accused EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński of “exceeding his diplomatic mandate” and serving the interests of what they called the “Global War Party” or “deep state”.

The group responded to a recent interview Ambassador Herczyński gave to Batumelebi, an independent Georgian news outlet. In that interview, Herczyński expressed concern over recent political developments in Georgia, including the treatment of journalists and civil society groups.

People’s Power dismissed his comments as “political speculations and lies”, accusing him of promoting destabilisation and supporting opposition figures, including those convicted of attacking law enforcement officers.

“It has long been clear to politicians and the majority of society that Paweł Herczyński is a representative of the ‘deep state’, whose main task is to create problems for the sovereign government of a sovereign country,” the statement read.

The group claimed that the ambassador supports organisations allegedly working to provoke unrest in Georgia and suggested that, under normal circumstances, he should have been expelled.

“Any state would have expelled a Deep State agent like Paweł Herczyński long ago,” the party continued, though it added that such a move would be counterproductive, as Brussels could appoint someone “even worse”.

The statement also accused the EU of “freezing Georgia’s progress toward EU membership for political reasons,” alleging that Brussels had “used Georgia’s European aspirations as leverage to pressure the government.”

People’s Power further criticised the ambassador for defending journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, who was arrested for slapping a law enforcement official during pro-European protests earlier this year. Herczyński had previously described her as a symbol of journalistic courage, a claim the party rejected, saying she had “physically assaulted a law enforcement officer”.

People’s Power was formed in 2022 by former Georgian Dream MPs who split from the ruling party with a goal “to tell the truth to the people” but remain politically aligned with it. 

The group has been a key promoter of Georgia’s controversial “foreign agents” law, which has drawn widespread condemnation from Western allies, including the EU and United States.