Activists protest in central Tbilisi for 259th day in a row

Tbilisi protesters block traffic at the Georgian Parliament demanding new parliamentary elections. Municipal elections in Georgia will be held without OSCE/ODIHR observers, as the Georgian government has not sent an invitation.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, since November 28, 2024, protesters in Tbilisi have been holding daily rallies at the Georgian Parliament and blocking traffic on Rustaveli Avenue, demanding the release of all arrested supporters of European integration and the appointment of new parliamentary elections.  

On the 259th day of ongoing protests, activists, as they do every day, blocked Rustaveli Avenue. The protesters' demand remains unchanged - to hold new parliamentary elections and release those detained for participating in the protests, Publika reported today.

Today it became known that the municipal elections in Georgia scheduled for October 4 will be held without international OSCE/ODIHR observers, as the Georgian government has not sent an invitation, Formula TV reported.

"Given the limited time remaining to organize an effective observation mission and deploy observers, ODIHR can no longer conduct comprehensive and meaningful observation of the elections," said OSCE/ODIHR Spokesperson Katia Andrush.

According to her, the organization regrets the lack of an invitation, which is contrary to previous practice, when the organization's observers were regularly invited to local/municipal elections in 2021, 2017, 2010 and 2006, the publications.

Caucasian Knot" published a reference "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protest Participants in Georgia". The "Caucasian Knot" collected materials about the parliamentary elections and the protests that followed them on the page "Elections in Georgia-2024".

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