Georgians rally in support of EU membership ahead of elections

The European Union froze accession talks aft Georgia’s authorities passed a arguable ‘foreign power law’ earlier this year.

Tens of thousands of radical successful Georgia person attended a pro-Europe rally, days earlier parliamentary elections seen arsenic a important trial for the country’s ideology and its bid for European Union membership.

Saturday’s ballot volition pit an unprecedented confederation of pro-Western absorption forces against the ruling Georgian Dream party, accused by Brussels of shifting towards authoritarianism and derailing EU campaigner Georgia from its European path.

Pro-Western President Salome Zurabichvili – astatine loggerheads with the authorities – attended Sunday’s rally, which she has said would “demonstrate people’s volition for freedom, independence, and a European future”.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators, waving EU and Georgian flags and holding banners that work “Georgia chooses the European Union” gathered astatine Tbilisi’s cardinal Freedom Square aft marching towards the venue from 5 antithetic locations.

Several Georgian NGOs, including Georgia’s European Orbit and the “My Voice to the EU” coalition, called connected Georgians to signifier a wide rally there.

“Choosing unity, development, and the European Union, Georgians volition rally connected October 20 (Sunday) and amusement their resoluteness to prosecute the way of EU membership,” organisers had said connected Facebook.

Brussels froze Georgia’s EU accession process aft Georgian Dream lawmakers this outpouring passed a arguable “foreign power law” targeting civilian society.

‘Crucial test’

The adoption of the measurement – criticised arsenic a Kremlin-style instrumentality to soundlessness dissent – sparked weeks of wide thoroughfare protests and besides prompted Washington to enforce sanctions connected dozens of Georgian officials.

Earlier this month, EU overseas argumentation main Josep Borrell cautioned that Georgian Dream’s actions “signal a displacement towards authoritarianism”.

He called the upcoming polls “a important trial for ideology successful Georgia and its European Union path”.

Opinion polls suggest absorption parties are apt to garner capable votes successful Saturday’s predetermination to signifier a conjugation authorities and regenerate the ruling party, controlled by almighty billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Analysts person warned of the hazard of turmoil if Georgian Dream attempts to clasp onto powerfulness careless of the vote’s outcome.

In powerfulness since 2012, the enactment initially pursued a wide pro-Western argumentation agenda, but implicit the past 2 years has reversed people and been accused of moving person to Moscow amid its penetration of Ukraine.

Bids for rank successful the EU and NATO are enshrined successful Georgia’s constitution and supported by immoderate 80 percent of the population, according to aggregate sentiment polls commissioned by groups including the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.