Georgien

Mikheil Kavelashvili, a hard-line critic of the West, was sworn in as president of Georgia on Sunday amid a political crisis after the government froze European Union application talks in a move that sparked major protests.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili challenged the European Union to do more to support pro-EU protesters and press the ruling Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party to hold new elections following its unilateral decision to postpone negotiations with the 27-member bloc.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has pledged to veto a proposal to impose EU sanctions on Georgian officials, for their crackdown on anti-government protests, the First Channel of Georgia reported on Dec. 10.

Georgia's prime minister vowed Thursday to "eradicate" the country's "liberal-fascist" opposition, escalating the government's bitter campaign against its rivals as mass pro-EU protests enter their second week. … The comments come a day after masked police officers raided several opposition party headquarters and arrested opposition leaders.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze says Georgia will suspend talks on European Union accession for four years and accused Brussels of “blackmail”. The announcement on Thursday came hours after the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution rejecting the results of Georgia’s October 26 parliamentary elections due to “significant irregularities”.

Despite claims its election victory is illegitimate, Georgian Dream party plans vote for new president on December 14, using rules it pushed through in 2017.

The de facto leader of Georgia's Moscow-backed breakaway Abkhazia region has signed his resignation amid ongoing protests by opposition supporters against a property deal with Russia.

The European Court of Human Rights has registered a complaint against Georgia's “foreign agent” law. According to the Young Lawyers' Association of Georgia, 16 media organizations, 120 civil society organizations, and four individuals made an appeal to the court regarding the law, which the Georgian parliament passed earlier this year.

Thousands of people rallied in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on November 11 to demand fresh elections amid allegations that Russia helped the ruling party, Georgian Dream, to rig the October 26 vote.

State prosecutors in the country of Georgia said Wednesday that they had initiated an investigation into Saturday’s parliamentary election amid claims that the vote was rigged.