TBILISI -- Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, an ardent critic of the ruling Georgian Dream party, called the nation’s parliament illegitimate and vowed to remain in office when her term ends next month, while Washington said it was suspending its "strategic partnership" with the country.
Georgia has been thrown into turmoil since parliamentary elections in October -- in which Georgian Dream secured 54 percent of the vote -- with the opposition and Western governments arguing that the poll was marred by violations and Russian influence.
Zurabishvili on November 30 said the “illegitimate” chamber does not have the right to choose her successor following the end of her term in December and vowed to remain in office.
"There is no legitimate parliament, and therefore, an illegitimate parliament cannot elect a new president,” Zurabishvili said.
“Thus, no inauguration can take place, and my mandate continues until a legitimately elected parliament is formed," she added, setting up a likely showdown over the office with Georgian Dream.
Separately, Washington blasted the security measures used against Georgians who have taken to the streets following the disputed elections and after a November 28 announcement by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that his government was suspending EU accession talks and would reject budgetary grants from Brussels "until the end of 2028."
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"The United States condemns the excessive use of force by police against Georgians seeking to exercise their rights to assembly and expression, including their freedom to peacefully protest," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
"By suspending Georgia’s EU accession process, Georgian Dream has rejected the opportunity for closer ties with Europe and made Georgia more vulnerable to the Kremlin," he said.
"Georgian Dream’s various anti-democratic actions have violated the core tenets of our U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership, which was based on shared values and commitments to democracy, rule of law, civil society, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and anti-corruption efforts. As a result, the United States has suspended this mechanism."
“We reiterate our call to the Georgian government to return to its Euro-Atlantic path, transparently investigate all parliamentary election irregularities, and repeal anti-democratic laws that limit freedoms of assembly and expression,” Miller added.
More than 100 people were detained in a massive pro-EU rally in Tbilisi on November 29 as Georgian police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters.
Georgia's Interior Ministry said protesters had “verbally and physically” assaulted police officers and had thrown various objects at security forces.
Various videos from the rally showed police officers beating protesters.
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Reacting to the crackdown, Kobakhidze suggested on November 30 that there were "isolated" incidents of police brutality but "systemic violence" against security forces by protesters.
"On one side, there was violence, on the other side there were incidents," he said in a press conference.
The opposition called for renewed protests on November 30, with several thousand demonstrators gathering near the parliament waving EU and Georgian flags. Officials said protesters damaged walls of the legislative building using stones and other objects.
Police in riot gear used water cannons and tear gas to subdue the crowd shortly after midnight on December 1. Fires were also reported at the parliament grounds.
On the first night of protests, some 43 demonstrators were detained "as a result of illegal and violent actions,” according to the Interior Ministry.
Kobakhidze on November 30 said that a "difficult" few months lay ahead of Georgia but added that he expects relations with the West to "reset."
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Zurabishvili, who has long sided with the protesters, condemned the "brutal and disproportionate attacks on the Georgian people and media," likening the crackdown on November 29 to "Russian-style repression."
The next day, she urged the Georgian diaspora to “wake up” and help protesters by speaking to the media and appealing to the authorities where they live.
SEE ALSO: At Georgian Protests, Journalists Say They're Being Targeted And Beaten“[You] can no longer be silent and pretend nothing is happening in the homeland,” she wrote on Facebook.
On November 28, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for new legislative elections in Georgia and sanctions on senior members of the Georgian Dream party.
In its resolution, the European Parliament said the election result election did "not serve as a reliable representation of the will of the Georgian people."
It also called on the European Union, which froze Georgia's EU membership application last month, to place sanctions on key officials within the ruling party, including Kobakhidze, Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Gharibashvili, billionaire power broker and party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze.