Police call on demonstrators demanding proportional elections to stop blocking parliament
Several members of parliament have not been allowed to enter the building. Photo: Nino Alavidze/ Agenda.ge.
Tweet 
Share
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA)has called on demonstrators demanding a fully proportional vote for the 2020 elections to stop blocking access to the parliament building.
MIA says such actions are illegal, and that if the freedom of expression goes beyond the limits set by law, the police will respond appropriately, reads the statement of the MIA.
The ministry says that the police ensured safety, public order and the freedom of expression of demonstrators at the protest rallies in downtown Tbilisi on the night of November 17.
Demonstrators have blocked the entrance of parliament. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Despite numerous calls and warnings from the Interior Ministry, freedom of assembly and expression went beyond the limits set by law. MIA calls on the leaders of political parties and rally organizers to stop blocking the entrance of parliament and respect the Constitution of Georgia”, reads the statement of MIA.
Opposition and civic activists are holding demonstrations protesting the rejection of a ruling Georgian Dream party proposed election bill.
All the entrances of the legislative body have been blocked since yesterday and the protestors refuse to remove the barriers “until the ruling party keeps its promise and accepts a fully proportional electoral system for 2010.”
Several members of parliament, including Revaz Arveladze, Gia Zhorzholiani and Merab Kvaraia, who came to the parliament earlier yesterday, have not been allowed to enter the building, with rally members calling them “slaves”.
Gia Volski, MP of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has stated that the United National Movement and its “daughter parties” are trying to “develop a revolutionary scenario”.
The ruling GD party proposed bill on holding of 2020 parliamentary elections with a fully proportional voting system and a zero threshold has been scrapped as 101 MPs instead of mandatory 113 voted for it on November 14.
The opposition voted for the bill as they feared that the ruling party “planned to scrap the bill, as the fully proportional election system is not in the interests of any ruling party”.
The opposition vowed the “largest ever street rallies” as the ruling party “refused to keep its promise”.
The leader of the European Georgia opposition party Giga Bokeria has stated that he is surprised by the response of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party to current protests in Tbilisi, as the ruling party accused the opposition of staging provocations and stirring unrest.
The US Embassy to Georgia and the EU delegation to the county have released a joint statement amid public protests in Tbilisi triggered by the rejection of an election bill, urging for “immediate work to restore trust through a calm and respectful dialogue between the government and all political parties and civil society with a view to finding an acceptable path forward.”
Participants of a protest rally at Rustaveli Avenue in downtown Tbilisi have blocked the entrances of the parliament of Georgia with tents.
The Georgian Interior Ministry announced that police will ensure safety and public order at the protest rallies in downtown Tbilisi today, as well as the freedom of expression of demonstrators. The ministry also said that any violation of the law, including an attempt to storm or block an administrative body, will be resolved by the police within the framework of the law.
Police have given 30 minutes to demonstrators to allow MPs in as the protesters have blocked all entrances of the legislative body starting yesterday, protesting the rejection of the ruling Georgian Dream party proposed election bill on the move to a fully proportional electoral system, the Georgian Public Broadcaster reports.
The Georgian Interior Ministry has used water cannon to disperse the rally in front of parliament in Tbilisi after demonstrators refused to leave the territory and allow MPs in the legislative body. The demonstrators, who are protesting the rejection of an election bill, refused to leave the area within 30 minutes, in the time given to them by the Interior Ministry.
Police have reportedly detained about 10 people during the dispersal of a rally in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi earlier today. Radio Liberty reports the alleged detention of the leader of Girchi party Zurab Japaridze, member of the United National Movement opposition party Otar Siradze, activists Giga Maqarashvili and Zuka Berdzenishvili, lawyer Beka Basilaia and several others.
Law enforcers have opened all three entrances of the Georgian parliament to MPs after the dispersal of a rally in central Tbilisi with the use of water cannon. IPN news agency reports that MPs are starting to gather in the parliament building and the ruling Georgian Dream party has plans to hold a meeting which should have been conducted earlier today.
The Georgian Interior Ministry has reported that 18 individuals have been detained during the dispersal of a rally at parliament earlier today for hooliganism and disobedience to police. The Georgian media has reported the detention “of about 10,” while the official number is 18. The ministry said that the work of the Georgian parliament has been restored and the central Rustaveli Avenue will reopen to traffic in the coming hours.
Protests sparked by the recent rejection by parliament to pass a bill on electoral reform will resume at 7 p.m. on central Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi after the rally was dispersed by police yesterday with the use of water cannons and saw 37 detained. Demonstrators are now assembled in front of Tbilisi City Court where the trial of the detainees will take place soon.