Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has threatened to use force against ‘anyone who breaks the law’ during the local elections scheduled for 4 October and the parallel anti-government demonstration.
The elections are set to take place amidst a widespread opposition boycott. Some opposition politicians and activists have also announced a large demonstration in Tbilisi with calls for a ‘peaceful revolution’ on that day.
Commenting on the date on Monday, Kobakhidze said that ‘4 October, including both the elections and the demonstration, will pass very peacefully. The main thing is that no one even thinks about breaking the law’.
However, he said that if anyone engages in illegal activity, ‘they will see the true power of the new system and new leadership’.
‘If anyone dares break the law, everyone will see the strength of the new management of law enforcement’, Kobakhidze said, referring to recent personnel reshuffles in law enforcement agencies.
In May, the country’s UK and US-sanctioned Interior Minister, Vakhtang Gomelauri, was replaced, and in June, the US-sanctioned Zviad ‘Khareba’ Kharazishvili stepped down as head of Georgia’s Special Tasks Department, the agency responsible for the riot police. In the same period, the Interior Ministry also announced the reassignment of 11 police officials to different roles across the country, including the appointment of Siradze as director of the Tbilisi Police Department.
As a result, many of those who had overseen police brutality against demonstrators during the first phase of protests in November–December 2024 either left their positions or were reassigned.
Later, in August, Mamuka Mdinaradze, who had previously been the leader of the parliamentary majority, was appointed head of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG).
Also on Monday, Kobakhidze drew a parallel between the ongoing protests in Georgia and Ukraine’s 2013–2014 Euromaidan protests, which led to the ouster of then-President Viktor Yanukovych.
According to the Kobakhidze, ‘foreign special services’ financed Ukraine’s revolution and are doing the same in Georgia. He did not specify which foreign countries he meant, though his statement was widely cited by Russian state media, as well as by pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian social media accounts.
4 October — elections and protests
Some opposition figures, including jailed United National Movement (UNM) political council chair Levan Khabeishvili, have been promoting the 4 October demonstration for many weeks.
Daily anti-government protests have been ongoing in the capital since 28 November, when the Georgian Dream government halted Georgia’s EU membership bid. However, there are expectations that the October demonstration will be larger, given the extensive prior announcements.
In addition, Khabeishvili publicly offered riot police $200,000 not to disperse protesters. The SSG deemed the politician’s statement as bribery and detained him on 12 September.
Georgian opposition parties have different perceptions and varying expectations regarding 4 October.
Lelo — Strong Georgia and For Georgia are the two only major opposition groups who are participating in the nationwide municipal elections. Larger opposition groups, including the Coalition for Change and Unity — National Movement, are boycotting the vote, arguing that participation would legitimise the Georgian Dream government, which the opposition has not recognised since the disputed October 2024 elections.
However, not all election boycotter groups are participating in the organisation of the protest on the same day, with some suggesting that tying expectations among opposition supporters to a single date may not be a wise strategy.
Meanwhile, Irakli Kupradze, the joint mayoral candidate in Tbilisi for Strong Georgia and For Georgia, urged opposition-leaning citizens to go to the polls in the morning and attend the demonstration in the evening.
OC Media
