Tens of thousands of supporters of the pro -European opposition Georgian gathered today in the center of Tbilida to protest against government, on the day of the municipal electionsreported journalists on the spot.

Georgian police used tear gas against protesters who attempted to enter the Presidential Palace, according to the French Agency. Local television and a witness, cited by the Reuters agency, reported that police had threw pepper spray and pressure under pressure to repel the crowd.

The protesters earlier marched to the Presidential Palace and some tried to enter the building.

The ruling party “Georgian Dream” faces this weekend the first electoral test after the 2024 parliamentary, which it won, though the opposition disputes the outcome. In this context, the municipal elections were of particular importance. The opposition called on citizens to protest the “authoritarian deviation” of the government, which in turn warned that no effort was made to organize a “revolution” in the country.

Late in the afternoon, the crowd, holding flags from Georgia and the EU, was in the center of the city.

“We are here to protect our democracy, which is being destroyed by the Georgian dream,” said 77 -year -old Natella Gavaria. Another demonstrator, 20 -year -old student Aleko Samnatsville, said that Georgia’s ambition to join the EU would be lost if the Georgian dream remains in power. “Only by persecuting them we will save the country,” he argued.

Following the clashes outside the Presidential Palace, the interior minister announced that the protesters “exceeded the limits set by law”.

Many opposition parties, such as the United National Movement (MNU) of former prisoner Michael Saakashvili, boycott the municipal elections. Saakashvili urged his supporters to protest because this is the “last chance” to save democracy, as he said.

If there is no “demonstration of power” against the government “Many more people will be arrested and others will be hunted (…) The West will abandon us,” warned Saakashville, who is serving a 12 -year sentence for abuse of power and other offenses.

Prime Minister Irakli Kompachitze has warned that a strong response would be given if there were riots and that the “revolutionary” aspirations of those who call on people to demonstrate. “We want to warn the whole world, once again. Do not get to the point of spending many years behind the railings, “he said.

The previous elections, the 2024 MPs, sank the former Soviet Republic of the Caucasus into a political crisis. The opposition has been organizing demonstrations for months, some of which were destroyed by the police. Within a year, about 60 people were arrested – opposition, journalists or ordinary activists – today with a non -governmental organization to defend human rights.

The Georgian dream has ruled the country since 2012 and initially appeared as a liberal alternative to the pro -European reformer Saakashvili who remained in power for about ten years and after his fall left exiled to Ukraine. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, however, in 2022, the ruling party is accused of an authoritarian shift and a Russian approach. He took action against the LOATKI+ community and adopted a law for the “foreign agents”, which was criticized by the European Union. The agricultural accession process in the EU has been suspended.

The Georgian dream assures that its aim is to “stability” and accuses the opposition and the West of seeking to use the country to open a second front with Russia.

In a recent poll, the Institute of Studies and Social Analysis estimated that the popularity of the party is 36% and the opposition to 54%. But the opposition is also divided. Saakashvili’s party is booming in the elections, but others, such as “Lelo” and “for agriculture”, have been lowering candidates to municipalities.