Georgia's president Salome Zurabishvili delivers pro-European message at opposition rally ahead of elections, which will be produced this weekend, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
The multi-thousand crowd had gathered in the central square in the capital, Tbilisi. According to the president, the people who came to the rally represent “free Georgia”. “Here today is the society, the people, the Georgians who have gone to Europe”, said Zurabishvili, who urged people to vote against the ruling party “Georgian Dream”.
While Zurabishvili was speaking at the opposition rally, unknown gunmen pointed lasers at her face from the roof of a nearby building in an attempt to distract her.
The October 26 election is seen as a test of whether Georgia will return to Russia's orbit or maintain its pro-Western orientation. Last year, the EU granted Georgia candidate status, the first step towards eventual membership. However, relations deteriorated sharply after in May “Georgian Dream” adopted a law on “foreign agents”, which critics say is evidence that the country is leaning towards Russia.
Zourabishvili, who has largely ceremonial powers, was elected in 2018 with the support of Georgian Dream, but has since become one of its staunchest critics. She is trying to broker a pact between opposition groups to get rid of “Georgian Dream” from an authority that domestic analysts and the West accuse of undermining Tbilisi's prospects for joining the EU.
Public opinion polls show that “Georgian Dream“ remains the most popular party in the country, although it has lost ground since 2020, when it won almost 50% of the vote and won a parliamentary majority by a narrow margin over the opposition.