UNM announces rallies in all large cities in Georgia
The United National Movement staged a rally in central Tbilisi yesterday. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The United Nations Movement (UNM) plans to hold ‘large rallies’ in all large cities in Georgia, during which demonstrators will demand the release of former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili from prison, UNM member Levan Bezhashvili said earlier today.
Bezhashvili’s statement follows yesterday’s rally in central Tbilisi by the UNM ‘which saw thousands of Georgians gathered, demanding freedom for the former president.’
Bezhashvili says the UNM will inform the public of its plans in the coming days.
Saakashvili says that more people participated in yesterday's rally than in 2003. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
We will continue exercising pressure on the Georgian Dream (GD) government, with all measures inside and outside the country, to set Saakashvili free,” Bezhashvili said.
According to Netgazeti, around 40,000 individuals attended the UNM rally yesterday.
The UNM cited Saakashvili as saying that ‘more people gathered at the rally than during the 2003 Rose Revolution [when the UNM under Saakashvili overthrew Eduard Shevardnadze’s government].’
Party members claim that the hunger strike, which Saakashvili began on the day of his arrest in Tbilisi on October 1, has weakened the former president.
Saakashviili says he returned to Georgia after eight years in political exile to support his UNM party in the October 2 municipal elections and replace the current Georgian Dream government, as he says, via snap parliamentary elections.
Many opposition parties refused to participate in the UNM rally because of Saakashvili. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda..ge.
Both Saakashvili and UNM had expected the ruling party to receive less than 43% of the vote in the proportional part of the municipal elections, which, per the EU-mediated agreement of April 2021 (from which GD withdrew ahead of elections), would force the ruling party to accept snap parliamentary elections.
However, GD received almost 47% of the vote, and won the majority of mayoral and majoritarian seats.
The election run-offs in 20 of 64 mayoral and majoritarian constituencies will take place on October 30, in which the GD and UNM candidates will compete in 17 constituencies.
UNM claims that it has the chance to win all the constituencies, while the GD states that all of its candidates will win.
A protest rally organized by the opposition United National Movement (UNM) in central Tbilisi demanding the release of ex-president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who was detained on October 1 a day before the municipal elections has ended.
Georgian law enforcers are present at various locations in central Tbilisi in the evening to ensure peace during the United National Movement (UNM) rally which began at 6 p.m. and where demonstrators are demanding the release of former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili from prison.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili says that ex-president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who was detained in Tbilisi on October 1, will be able to leave the country only after he serves his prison sentence.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party head Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that the GD won the so-called referendum announced by ‘the radical opposition’ with 66 per cent of seats in city councils (Sakrebulo) nationwide. Kobakhidze said that the ruling party counts on increasing the figure to 68 per cent after the runoff.
Ruling party MP and Vice Parliament Speaker Gia Volski has responded to the protest rally organised by the largest opposition party, United National Movement (UNM), stating that ‘the number of people gathered at the rally proved nothing to me.’ The UNM and its supporters demanded the release of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who was arrested on October 1, the day before municipal elections in the country took place.
Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has released a letter from Rustavi Prison No. 12 earlier today and asked emigrants to return to Georgia ‘for a week, by the end of the month’ to take part in a ‘decisive battle.’
Police have arrested two protesters at a rally in support of jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili in front of the government administration building earlier today. Demonstrators demanding the release of Saakashvili attempted to draw graffiti reading 'Freedom to Misha' in front of the building, which resulted in a clash between protesters and officers.
Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze says that a medical council will be held today to assess the health of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili who is currently serving time in prison. Tikaradze explained that she is not personally involved in the discussion regarding the ex-president’s health, and the medical council is being convened on the request of Saakashvili's personal doctor Nikoloz Kipshidze.
Politician Gigi Ugulava, the United National Movement’s mayoral candidate for the port city of Poti, will be fined for breaking quarantine rules. Ugulava, who tested positive for COVID-19 on October 7, attended the UNM rally yesterday, delivering a speech without wearing a face mask.