The Daily Beat: 24 December

President Salome Zurabishvili met with representatives from the opposition and civil society organizations. They discussed the potential procedures for holding new elections if the ruling party agrees to negotiate. Additionally, they explored what actions could be taken to reinforce the demands for new elections if the ruling party does not agree to negotiations.

For the 27th day in a row, citizens continue to take to the streets, blocking Rustaveli Avenue in protest. People gathered in front of the Parliament from various locations. Medical students joined the crowd after marching from Vake Park in Tbilisi, while others participated following a demonstration in front of the Georgian Public Broadcaster building, where they demanded that the station provide airtime for government critics.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia issued a statement denying allegations of vote-rigging made by President Salome Zurabishvili regarding October 26’s elections. The CEC described the allegations as “absolutely baseless” and “part of a politically motivated disinformation campaign.”

In a post on social platform X, the U.S. Helsinki Commission called on the U.S. authorities and other democracies worldwide to take action to ensure that Georgia remains free and independent. The commission also stated that “Georgians are engaged in an existential struggle for their country’s democracy, sovereignty, and European future, and bipartisan members of Congress stand with them.”

Human Rights Watch, a leading international human rights watchdog has issued a statement raising alarm over the Georgian authorities’ violent crackdown on pro-EU protests, and stressing the punitive nature of these actions. “The level of the authorities’ violence against largely peaceful protesters is shocking, blatantly retaliatory, and violates Georgia’s domestic laws and international norms,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.