Georgia’s outgoing president urges EU to back anti-government protesters
- 18 December, 13:51
Georgia’s outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili has urged the European Union to use more leverage to put pressure on the country’s pro-Russian government and support the nationwide pro-EU protests that have already entered the third week.
Addressing the EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday, Zourabichvili stressed the illegitimacy of the country’s October parliamentary election that strengthened the ruling Georgia Dream party’s grip on power.
“Europe needs to find the leverage to act. If Europe cannot exert leverage on a country of 3.7 million, how can it expect to compete with the giants of the 21st century?” Salome Zourabichvili said.
Commenting on the on-going protests against the government’s U-turn on EU accession, Zourabichvili noted:“When Georgians have been fighting day and night, Europe has been slow to wake up and slow to react. While European flags are being banned in Tbilisi, Georgians are still waiting for biting measures to come from Brussels and Washington.” She added that Georgia needs “constant political attention from the highest levels.”
Zourabichvili asked for EU’s help to hold new parliamentary election to delegitimize the October elections that were marred with irregularities and were deemed rigged. She also spoke about amendments the ruling Georgian Dream and its satellites in parliament have made to various laws and legislations. Among such laws is the controversial law on foreign agents that was adopted by the ruling party in May this year and has sparked mass anti-government protests.
“The question that I came here to ask is simple: will you speed up the transition or will you allow it to prolong throughout the winter? Georgians will not wither, but expect Europe to step up so we can defend Europe and its values together,” she said.
Pro-EU Zourabichvili has long been at odds with the pro-Russian government. On Saturday, Georgia’s electoral college elected former football player and far-right politician Mikheil Kavelashvili as the new president.
