A protest took place in Tbilisi on Saturday under the slogan "No to Russian elections" amid plans by major opposition parties to boycott the local elections scheduled for 4 October.

Source:SOVA news portal, as reported by European Pravda

Details:Opposition politicians, representatives of non-governmental organisations and citizens marched to the parliament building. Demonstrators demanded the release of activists detained during pro-European rallies and opposition politicians and also called for new parliamentary elections to be held.

The protesters also opposed the participation of opponents of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the upcoming local self-government elections.

"The specific message of today’s rally is that the so-called Russian elections are part of the Russian special operation. Its scenario and result have already been determined," said one participant, Levan Tsutskiridze, leader of the Freedom Square movement, in an interview with the online news outlet Interpressnews.

At the end of June, eight opposition parties in Georgia issued a joint statement announcing their refusal to participate in the local self-government elections on 4 October this year.

The opposition stated their aim to "completely dismantle the Russian regime of Ivanishvili", protect Georgia’s independence and sovereignty, establish a European-style democratic government and join the EU and NATO.

They noted that, under current conditions, participating in local elections would only lend an appearance of legitimacy to the "illegal Russian regime" of Georgian Dream.

Background: 

• On 15 July, the EU sent a letter to Georgia demanding the restoration of the rule of law and a review of harsh sentences for opposition members by 31 August, threatening to suspend the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens if unmet. 
• Additionally, the foreign affairs heads of 17 European states and Kaja Kallas criticised the Georgian authorities’ anti-democratic actions in a joint statement.
• Georgia sharply condemned the EU’s ultimatum to restore the rule of law.

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