- Tens of thousands of people march in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, demanding that the government step down.
- Demonstrators angry over country’s failure to formally secure candidacy for EU membership.
- EU leaders decided last month to postpone Georgian application for membership pending political reforms.
Tens of thousands of people marched in Georgia on Sunday, demanding that the government resign over the country’s failure to formally secure candidacy for EU membership.
Since late June, when EU leaders decided to postpone Tbilisi’s application for membership pending sweeping political reforms, the Black Sea nation has been gripped by mass protests.
The biggest demonstrations in decades, which saw at least 120,000 take to the streets on June 20, are being organised by leading pro-democracy groups and supported by opposition parties.
On Sunday evening, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Georgian parliament, blocking traffic at the main thoroughfare of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
Waving Georgian and EU flags, demonstrators sang the national anthem, before the EU anthem, the Ode to Joy, was performed at the rally.
Many held placards that read “We are Europe.”
On Facebook, the rally’s organizers earlier called on Bidznia Ivanishvili, founder of the country’s ruling party, to “relinquish executive power and transfer it, in a constitutional manner, to a government of national accord”.
A new cabinet “will carry out the reforms required by the EU, which will automatically bring us the status of an EU membership candidate,” the statement said.
“A next stage of our protests begins today. We will not disperse.”
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