Kobakhidze says ‘1,000 people gather everyday’

According to local media, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that at the ongoing protests against the government’s EU U-turn ‘1,000 people gather every day — this means that it is an asset for [opposition] parties and NGOs’.

‘Of course, they also have the right to democratic expression, therefore, the government allows them to express their opinion from the very beginning to the end, however, the speech of 1,000 people cannot outweigh the decision of more than 1,120,000 voters. This decision is that the Georgian Dream in Georgia will continue to govern the country for the next four years’, he told reporters.

The official results of 26 October’s parliamentary elections gave the ruling Georgian Dream party a large majority, with 54% of the vote. However, local media and observer groups have documented widespread vote rigging by the ruling party.