In Georgia, demonstrations have been happening daily for almost a month, since November 28 and the announcement by the new pro-Russian president to suspend the country’s candidacy for the European Union. Since then, the movement has spread to many parts of Georgian society, while the new pro-Russian president is expected to take office this Sunday.
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This Sunday, December 29, the new president Mikheïl Kavelashvili, a pro-Russian from the far-right Georgian Dream party, should succeed Salomé Zourabichvilipro-European, who has become the new muse of the opposition and the demonstrators. Enough to add fuel to the fire of a protest which has lasted for a month.
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They are of all ages, from all social classes. Men, women, students, teachers, workers in general, and even dancers, who gather every day in front of Parliament and perform Khorumi, a traditional Georgian combat dance.
Samira Bayramova has been one of the coordinators of the daily marches against the government for almost a month. Contacted by telephone by RFI, she declared: “ We of course want to protect our president, our leader. Our government has no other options: it must organize new elections. And then in recent days, riot police have arrested more than a hundred protesters. We want them to be released. »
The Georgian people want to continue their relations with the European Union, not Russia!
Samira Bayramova, one of the coordinators of the daily walks
National minorities join the movement
This Wednesday, the movement further amplified with the participation of national minorities such as Azerbaijanis or Armenians living in Georgia during a “unity march”.
Even if it is not political ideologies that bring Georgians together in the streets, the opposition parties are all mobilized. From liberals to the left, pro-European figures mingle with the crowd, like outgoing president Salomé Zourabichvili, but also the center-right Coalition for Change or the center-left alliance Strong Georgia.
The demonstrators denounce the rigged legislative elections of last October and fear an authoritarian drift from the regime. More than 460 opponents were arrested and more than 300 injured at the start of the demonstrations, according to Amnesty International.
Many also fear a rapprochement of the country with Moscow: they keep in mind the memory of the annexation hidden by the Russia of two regions of the country in August 2008.
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