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Georgia's leader, Irakli Kobakhidze, has announced a broad suppression on dissent, alleging demonstrators who tried to breach the official residence of seeking to topple his government and pointing the finger at the EU for interference in Georgia's internal matters.

Kobakhidze leveled these accusations just a day after protesters attempted to breach the presidential palace during municipal polls. Security forces stopped them by employing pepper spray and water cannon.

"Not a single person will escape accountability. This encompasses political responsibility," the prime minister was quoted as saying.

Officers arrested at least five demonstrators, including representatives of the United National Movement and the vocal artist turned activist Paata Burchuladze.

Domestic news outlets reported the ministry of health as stating that twenty-one members of the security forces and six protesters had been hurt in clashes in central Tbilisi.

Context of the Political Unrest

The South Caucasus country has been in upheaval since Kobakhidze's ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in the previous year's parliamentary election, which the European-leaning opposition claims was stolen. From that point, Tbilisi's talks on entering the European Union have been frozen.

Kobakhidze stated that up to seven thousand people participated in Saturday's opposition rally but their "effort to overthrow the constitutional order" had been prevented despite what he called support from the European Union.

"Several people have been detained – primarily the leaders of the attempted overthrow," he informed reporters, stating that the country's main opposition force "will no longer be allowed from being active in the nation's political scene."

Opposition Calls and Administration Response

Opposition figures had called for a "non-violent uprising" against GD, which they allege of being aligned with Moscow and dictatorial. The political group has been in power since 2012.

A large crowd of demonstrators assembled in the heart of the city, waving national and European flags, after months of targeted operations on free press, limitations on non-governmental groups and the detention of dozens of opponents and campaigners.

Kobakhidze accused the EU's ambassador to the country, Paweł Herczyński, of meddling. "It is known that certain individuals from overseas have even expressed explicit backing for all this, for the announced attempt to disrupt the constitutional order," he remarked, adding that the ambassador "bears special responsibility in this context."

"The ambassador should speak out, distance himself and strictly condemn everything that is occurring on the city's avenues," stated the prime minister.

European Union Position and Ongoing Political Strain

In the summer, the European External Action Service dismissed what it called "disinformation and baseless accusations" about the EU's alleged role in Georgia.

The pro-European factions have been organizing demonstrations since the previous autumn, when Georgian Dream won a national vote that its opponents claim was marred by fraud. The ruling group has denied accusations of electoral manipulation.

Georgia has the goal of joining the European Union enshrined in its founding document and has long been one of the most Europe-oriented of the Soviet Union's successor states. Its relations with the Western nations have been under pressure since Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022.

Georgian Dream is directed by its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country's richest man and a ex-leader, and denies it is aligned with Russia. It states it aims to join the EU while preserving stability with Russia.