Georgia: Anti-government protest planned in Tbilisi November 17-18 /update 5

Event

The opposition European Georgia party has called for large-scale anti-government rallies in Tbilisi on both Tuesday, November 17, and Wednesday, November 18, to coincide with the visit of the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo amid continued unrest linked to the October 31 parliamentary election. Although no timings or locations have been announced at the time of writing, the events are likely to be in the vicinity of the parliament building.

A heightened security presence and localized disruptions are likely in the vicinity of the protest site.

Context

The Georgian Dream party were declared the winners of the October 31 parliamentary election after winning 48.15 percent of the vote. The leader of the Movement for Liberty - European Georgia, Davit Bakradze, stated that he believed that the vote was neither free nor fair and that his party rejected the results. Police fired water cannon at protesters who gathered in the vicinity of the Central Election Commission (CEC) headquarters on Sunday, November 8, to demand a re-run of the election and the resignation of the head of the CEC. Protests continued in the city on Monday, November 9.

Advice

Those in Tbilisi are advised to monitor developments, avoid any protest and demonstration locations as a precaution, and adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities.