Georgian Parliament Speaker claims “certain groups, forces” seek to bring puppet government to power in Georgia

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday claimed there were groups and forces that were seeking to bring a puppet government to power in Georgia.

Papuashvili responded to the statement of the former President Salome Zourabichvili at a panel discussion held in Prague as part of the Forum 2000 regarding the events of October 4, who claimed that “the fences [around the presidential palace in Tbilisi] were prepared in advance for the attack, most likely by local forces, the scenario was probably carried out using some parts of the opposition”.

“They failed to use her [Salome Zourabichvili] in the attempt to overthrow the government, but they have started to reorganize, and in Prague she made this disgraceful lie - saying that we are so bad that there should have been ten times more fences, electric currents, and mines around us”, the Speaker said.

“I said afterwards that she is not saying this on her own - she is being made to speak, so that later it can be used as a reference: Salome Zourabichvili said it. A few hours later, [MEP] Rasa Juknevičienė and another Member of the European Parliament came out and began spreading the exact same narrative. Several TV channels were broadcasting live, and we clearly saw what was happening there. This once again confirms, post factum, that there are groups and forces that want to bring a puppet government to power in Georgia”, 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”.