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The nation's leader, Irakli Kobakhidze, has announced a broad suppression on political opposition, alleging protesters who tried to breach the official residence of aiming to overthrow his government and pointing the finger at the EU for interference in the country's internal matters.

The prime minister leveled these accusations just a day following protesters tried to enter the presidential building during municipal polls. Security forces halted their advance by employing pepper spray and water cannon.

"Not a single person will escape responsibility. This includes political responsibility," the prime minister was reported to state.

Officers detained at least five demonstrators, including two members of the United National Movement and the opera singer turned activist Paata Burchuladze.

Local media reported the health ministry as saying that 21 members of the security forces and six demonstrators had been hurt in confrontations in the heart of the capital.

Context of the Political Unrest

The nation of Georgia has been in turmoil since the prime minister's governing Georgian Dream party declared win in the previous year's general election, which the European-leaning opposition claims was stolen. Since then, Tbilisi's negotiations on entering the bloc have been halted.

Kobakhidze stated that up to seven thousand people attended Saturday's protest gathering but their "attempt to topple the government" had been thwarted despite what he described as support from the European Union.

"Several people have already been arrested – primarily the organisers of the attempted overthrow," he told reporters, adding that the country's main opposition force "will be barred from operating in the nation's political scene."

Opposition Calls and Administration Response

Opposition figures had urged a "non-violent uprising" against Georgian Dream, which they accuse of being aligned with Moscow and dictatorial. The political group has been in control since 2012.

A large crowd of protesters gathered in the center of the capital, waving Georgian and EU flags, after an extended period of targeted operations on free press, restrictions on non-governmental groups and the detention of dozens of critics and campaigners.

The prime minister accused the European Union's representative to the country, Paweł Herczyński, of interference. "You know that certain individuals from overseas have even expressed explicit backing for all this, for the declared effort to overthrow the legal government," he said, adding that Herczyński "bears special responsibility in this context."

"The ambassador should come out, distance himself and strictly condemn everything that is happening on the streets of Tbilisi," stated Kobakhidze.

European Union Response and Ongoing Political Tensions

In the summer, the EU's diplomatic service dismissed what it called "false information and baseless accusations" about the EU's alleged role in Georgia.

The pro-European factions have been staging protests since last October, when GD won a parliamentary election that its critics say was tainted by irregularities. The ruling group has rejected allegations of vote-rigging.

The country has the goal of EU accession written into its constitution and has long been one of the most pro-western of the former Soviet republics. Its relations with the Western nations have been strained since Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022.

Georgian Dream is directed by its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the wealthiest individual and a ex-leader, and denies it is aligned with Russia. It says it wants to join the European Union while maintaining stability with Russia.