In Georgia, the protests, now in their third week, are expected to gain new momentum when the parliament, led by the ruling Georgian Dream party, elects a new president on Saturday.
TV4 News has visited the Georgian countryside, where the party has its voter base, and talked to some of the voters.
Manuchar Makharadze is herding the cows in the countryside, where the conservative government party Georgian Dream is the strongest, when TV4 Nyheterna meets him. The protests of the progressive young people in the cities are not heard here.
– Georgian Dream works against all LGBTQI propaganda that the opposition stands for. Georgian dream stands for a traditional lifestyle. In my opinion, for example, same-sex marriage is completely unacceptable and so does Georgian Dream. At the same time, they ensure that the peace is preserved, says Manuchar Makharadze.
The promise of peace
Not far from the place where Manuchar herds the cows lives the widow Manana Kuzanashvili. For her, it was precisely the promise of the Georgian Dream, of a maintained peace with Russia, that made her vote last fall for the party that has led the country since 2012.
– I voted for our government, mainly because of their promise of peace. If peace can remain, then everything will calm down and our living conditions will improve, she says.
Like most Georgians, she remembers the war with Russia in 2008. The occupation that followed is still ongoing. Manana dislikes Russia, but like many who support Georgian Dream, she fears that a more EU-friendly government would risk provoking a new attack from Russia.
– I want a good, peaceful relationship with the EU based on negotiations and a functioning relationship with Russia. How long will it really be like this?, she says.
– I also want Russia to return the two Georgian lands that they occupy, she continues.
But Manana’s and Georgian Dream’s pragmatism towards the EU and Russia is rejected by the protesters in the cities. They think the party is steering the country in an authoritarian direction away from the EU, and towards Putin’s Russia.
Want the protests to stop
Manuchar says he wants an end to the protests, which are expected to reach new heights when the new president is elected.
– I think the protests must be stopped, but I don’t think it should be as brutal as it has been so far. The protesters’ rights also need to be protected. I think the risk is that if you mistreat them, it only risks fueling the anger and leading to more people taking to the streets to protest, he says.