Georgian PM says certain bureaucrats, politicians cannot accept will of Georgian people

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said that everyone must accept that Georgia is a democracy, where the Georgian people express their will and make their choice in favour of a specific political force.

In his remarks at the briefing, Kobakhidze noted that certain bureaucrats and politicians cannot come to terms with the will of the Georgian people and the country’s democratic system, linking their attitudes to open support for attempts to overthrow the government.

“During the recent developments, there were direct statements - for example, Rasa Juknevičienė, who serves as the European Parliament’s official rapporteur on Georgia, openly supported violence, assaults on police officers, the storming of the Presidential Palace, and efforts to overthrow the government”, he said.

“You can see the crisis European bureaucracy is trapped in - this is a consequence of losing sovereignty. There were other statements as well. Before October 4, the official spokesperson of the European Union expressed support for a rally whose declared goal was to topple the government. This once again answers a simple question: what value do the statements of such forces, institutions, and individuals have? Of course, neither today nor in the future will such statements have any value, as their hostility toward the Georgian people is evident”, the PM continued.

Kobakhidze highlighted that the Georgian people had chosen the ruling party in 2012, “reaffirmed their trust in 2020, again in 2024, and once more in 2025”, adding that these individuals are irritated precisely because the Georgian people prevent the return to power of the “bloodstained political force - the collective United National Movement”.

“However, everyone must understand that Georgia is a democracy, the Georgian people express their will, and they make their choice in favor of a specific political force”, he concluded.

On October 4, large-scale protests in Tbilisi escalated into a dramatic confrontation, as a group of radical demonstrators tried to storm the presidential palace. The unrest occurred on the same day Georgia held municipal elections.

Authorities detained at least five opposition figures, including Paata Burchuladze. They are now facing charges of plotting to overthrow the government - a potential offense that could carry lengthy prison sentences.

Government officials described the events as a failed coup attempt orchestrated with foreign backing. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called the protests “an attempted overthrow of the constitutional order”.