Georgian police use water cannons, pepper spray as opposition protests erupt during disputed municipal elections #Georgia

Georgian riot police used pepper spray and water cannon to force protesters away from the presidential palace on Saturday, October 4, as the opposition staged a large demonstration on the day of municipal elections.

The governing Georgian Dream (GD) party said it had clinched victory in every municipality across the South Caucasus country of 3.7 million in an election boycotted by the two largest opposition blocs.

Shortly before polls closed on Saturday, a group of demonstrators attempted to force entry to the presidential palace in the capital Tbilisi, a Reuters witness said, after opposition figures called for a "peaceful revolution" against GD, which they accuse of being pro-Russian and authoritarian.

Georgia's pro-Western opposition has been staging protests since October 2024, when GD won a parliamentary election that its critics say was fraudulent. The party has rejected accusations of vote-rigging.

Courtesy: Reuters

#GMAIntegratedNews