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The nation's prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, has announced a broad crackdown on political opposition, accusing demonstrators who attempted to storm the official residence of aiming to overthrow his government and pointing the finger at the European Union for meddling in Georgia's internal matters.

Kobakhidze leveled these accusations just a day after demonstrators attempted to breach the presidential building during local elections. Riot police halted their advance by using pepper spray and water cannon.

"No one will avoid accountability. This encompasses political responsibility," the prime minister was reported to state.

Officers detained at least five protesters, among them two members of the United National Movement and the vocal artist turned campaigner Paata Burchuladze.

Domestic news outlets cited the health ministry as saying that 21 members of the security forces and 6 protesters had been hurt in clashes in central Tbilisi.

Context of the Political Crisis

The South Caucasus country has been in upheaval since the prime minister's ruling GD party declared win in the previous year's general election, which the European-leaning opposition asserts was stolen. From that point, Tbilisi's negotiations on joining the bloc have been frozen.

The premier said that up to seven thousand people attended the weekend's opposition rally but their "effort to overthrow the government" had been prevented despite what he called EU backing.

"A number of people have been detained – first and foremost the organisers of the attempted coup," he informed reporters, adding that the primary opposition group "will no longer be allowed from operating in the nation's political scene."

Protest Movement Appeals and Administration Response

Opposition figures had urged a "peaceful revolution" against Georgian Dream, which they allege of being aligned with Moscow and authoritarian. The party has been in power since 2012.

A large crowd of demonstrators assembled in the center of the city, displaying Georgian and EU flags, after months of Kremlin-style raids on independent media, limitations on non-governmental groups and the detention of many of critics and activists.

The prime minister accused the European Union's representative to the country, Paweł Herczyński, of meddling. "You know that specific people from overseas have publicly stated direct support for these actions, for the declared effort to overthrow the constitutional order," he remarked, noting that Herczyński "bears special responsibility in this context."

"The ambassador should come out, dissociate himself and strictly condemn everything that is occurring on the streets of Tbilisi," said the prime minister.

EU Response and Ongoing Geopolitical Strain

In the summer, the EU's diplomatic service rejected what it called "false information and unfounded claims" about the EU's alleged role in Georgia.

The pro-European factions have been organizing demonstrations since last October, when GD secured victory in a parliamentary election that its opponents claim was marred by fraud. The ruling group has denied allegations of vote-rigging.

The country has the goal of EU accession enshrined in its constitution and has long been among the most Europe-oriented of the Soviet Union's successor states. Its relations with the west have been strained since Moscow's military offensive of Ukraine in 2022.

GD is directed by its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country's richest man and a former prime minister, and rejects it is aligned with Russia. It says it wants to enter the EU while preserving peace with Moscow.