Tens of thousands of Georgians rally in support of EU accession ahead of upcoming parliamentary election

A large rally in support of Georgia's accession to the European Union was held in Tbilisi's Freedom Square on Oct. 20, ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election scheduled for Oct. 26.

The "Georgia Chooses the European Union" march brought what appeared to be several tens of thousand of protesters to the streets of the Tbilisi, social media videos show. Protesters waved EU and Georgian flag while singing the country's national anthem.

President Salome Zourabichvili, a vocal opponent of the ruling Georgian Dream party, participated in the rally, urging protesters to vote for pro-European parties during the election. Zourabichvili said the protest "shows that Georgia has already won and will reintegrate with Europe".

Zourabichvili also addressed President Volodymyr Zelensky in her speech, stating that Zelensky is  "fighting for Georgia as well. You will be victorious and we will enter the European Union together."

Georgia's received EU candidate status alongside Ukraine in December 2023. Although questions surrounding Georgia's candidacy continue to swirl as the ruling Georgian Dream party continues to rekindle relations with Russia.

Concerns about Georgia's democracy have reached a fever pitch after the ruling Georgian Dream party passed the foreign agents law, which requires organizations that receive foreign funding to be labeled as "foreign agents" and mirrors repressive Russian legislation used to crack down on Kremlin regime critics.

On Sept. 14, the de facto leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, as part of his party's larger trend of rapprochement with Russia declared that Georgia should "apologize" for Russia's 2008 war against the country.

Western officials have sanctioned in recent months Georgian officials who they deem as having a role in committing human rights abuses.

Moscow formally initiated processes cozying relations with Tbilisi on Oct. 10 as Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a presidential decree expanding visa-free entry for Georgian citizens who are working or studying in Russia.

Russia expands visa-free entry for Georgian citizens

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a presidential decree on Oct. 10 expanding visa-free entry for Georgian citizens who are working or studying in Russia, as Moscow continues to cozy relations with Tbilisi amid concerns over the country’s democratic backsliding.

The Kyiv IndependentDmytro Basmat