Thousands of Georgians are protesting against the suspension of candidacy for the EU

This article was originally published in English

Protesters clashed with police in the capital Tbilisi on Thursday night after the government suspended talks over his candidacy for four years. enter the european union,

Prime Minister, Irakli KobakhidzeThe Georgian Dream party announced the decision at a press conference, saying that its long-awaited candidacy to join the bloc would not be on the agenda. By the end of 2028,

The announcement came hours after European Parliament Adopt a resolution condemning the 26 October elections, alleging significant irregularities that made the elections “neither free nor fair”.

Brussels claims that the ruling party in Georgia is solely responsible for the continuous decline in democratic practices in the country. Irregularities include “Documented cases of voter intimidationvote manipulation, interference with election observers and media, and alleged Tampering with electronic voting machinesS”.

European Parliament calls for re-election under international monitoring within a year Sanctions on senior Georgian officialsIn which the Prime Minister is also included.

Kobakhidze stressed that Georgia is a European country and “it is our responsibility to make Georgia a full member of the European family,” but “relations Georgia-EU bilateral And they can only be bilateral.

He added: “We are a proud and self-respecting nation with a long history. Therefore, it is clearly unacceptable for us to contemplate integration into it.” European Union As a favor that the EU should owe us”.

Kobakhidze also said that the government Will reject all financing from BrusselsThe EU had earlier announced it was cutting any budget aid to Georgia over the so-called foreign agent law and other decisions deemed undemocratic by Georgian Dream.

Since the opposition refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the new parliament and boycotts its work, Kobakhidze will remain prime minister. The Georgian Parliament has approved its new CabinetBut the opposition seats are vacant.

Parliament has endorsed a independent international investigation On allegations of electoral manipulation GeorgiaUrged the European Union, its member states and the international community not to recognize them.

Kobakhidze stressed that Georgia’s EU candidacy is simply on hold. In his speech he pledged to continue implementing necessary reforms over the next four years, saying The country will be more prepared in 2028 than all other candidate countries to resume accession negotiations and become a full member state in 2030.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Tbilisi formally applied for EU membership in March 2022. In December the following year it was granted EU candidate status, to the delight of many Georgians, who celebrated in the streets of the capital. This is what the protesters claim They will continue to protest against this injustice Until their demands are met.