In Georgia, the ruling party, Georgian Dream, organized a large rally on Wednesday, October 23, in the capital Tbilisi. This is the last meeting of the party accused of authoritarian and pro-Russian drift before the legislative elections where it faces a union of pro-Western opposition forces.
2 mins
Saturday October 26, the inhabitants of Georgiaa former Soviet republic of 3.7 million inhabitants, will elect their deputies in a ballot resembling a pro or anti-West referendum. And this while 80% Georgians say they want their country to become a member of the European Union (EU).
For several years, the ruling party, in the hands of the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishviliis working to sever ties with the West and is working towards a form of return of the country to the Russian orbit. On Wednesday, in any case, he organized the logistics well, once again, with buses and minibuses chartered from all over the country, drawing tens of thousands of people to Liberty Square. These people sometimes came there, recruited by their employer, often the State.
Also readGeorgia torn apart, could its membership in the European Union be called into question?
“The Georgian Dream gives us guarantees for peace »
Others came because they were convinced by the arguments that the Georgian authorities have been developing for more than two years. This is the case of Levan, a school teacher in Tbilisi. “ I support the Georgian Dream party because in this terrible geopolitical situation in which we find ourselves, with this terrible confrontation between the North and the South, or the East, I think that Georgian Dream gives us guarantees for peace “, he believes.
On the stage, after the executives of the Georgian Dream, it is finally the strong man of the Georgia who introduced himself, Bidzina Ivanishvili. A long speech followed, claiming to be pro-European but in reality accusing the West of all evils, such as wanting to import war to the Caucasus and destroy national culture. However, it was with a rap, a Western musical genre to say the least, sung by the son of the oligarch, that the gathering ended.
On Sunday October 20, tens of thousands of people took to the streets for a pro-European rally.
Also readIn Georgia, the legislative elections mobilize pro-European youth