Tbilisi, Feb 23\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0 Opposition parties called for major demonstrations in Georgia Tuesday after a leading political figure was arrested in an early morning raid on his party headquarters,\u00a0deepening\u00a0a spiralling political crisis following disputed parliamentary elections last year. \u00a0Hundreds of riot police used tear gas against Nika Melia\u2019s supporters who were camped out at his United National Movement headquarters in Tbilisi before the opposition leader was arrested and placed in pre-trail detention. The raid sparked swift condemnation from the US and UK embassies in Georgia, mounting fears over the country\u2019s fragile democracy. Scores of his supporters were also detained in the overnight raid and the leader of opposition Lelo party called for \u201ca peaceful, unwavering struggle to defend Georgian democracy\u201d. \u201cLiberation of political prisoners and snap parliamentary elections are the only possible way from the crisis,\u201d Mamuka Khazaradze said, speaking to journalists on behalf of all opposition leaders.He urged supporters to gather outside government headquarters to protest Melia\u2019s arrest. The United States Embassy in Georgia said in a statement it was \u201cdeeply concerned by the government\u2019s decision to detain the head of a major opposition political party.\u201d\u201cForce and aggression are not the solution to resolving Georgia\u2019s political differences. Today, Georgia has moved backward on its path toward becoming a stronger democracy in the Euro-Atlantic family of nations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
British ambassador Mark Clayton wrote on Twitter he was \u201cshocked by the scenes at UNM headquarters this morning\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Georgia\u2019s interior ministry defended the raid, saying \u201cpolice used proportional force and special means\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– \u2018Broken democracy\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Georgia has been in the grip of a political crisis since parliamentary elections in October, which opposition parties slammed as rigged after the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed narrow victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Thursday, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia resigned over Georgian Dream\u2019s plans to arrest Melia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0Last week, a court in Tbilisi ordered Melia to be placed in pre-trial detention after he refused to pay an increased bail fee ahead of hearings in a case related to anti-government demonstrations in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He has been charged with \u201corganising mass violence\u201d during the protests and faces up to nine years in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Supporters had been camped out at his party headquarters last week until the raid Tuesday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Melia, 41, rejects the case as politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The detention order has raised the stakes in the crisis over the disputed elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Opposition members have refused to take up their seats in the new parliament, in a boycott that weighs heavily on the ruling party\u2019s political legitimacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They have also demanded a new poll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Georgia\u2019s new Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who was confirmed by parliament on Monday, said in an address to lawmakers his government would proceed with Melia\u2019s arrest, saying the politician \u201cwill not manage to hide from justice\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Garibashvili is a loyal lieutenant of the powerful oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili who is widely seen as the man in charge in Georgia, despite having no official political role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Analysts said the political crisis in Georgia has serious consequences for the fledgling democracy and is unlikely to be resolved without a greater diplomatic engagement from Tbilisi\u2019s Western allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew Bryza, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council US think tank said Georgia\u2019s \u201cbackward movement in terms of democracy\u201d under Georgian Dream reached the point where \u201copposition parties say they can\u2019t take their seats in parliament because the democratic system in Georgia is broken\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u201cWithout a greater Western mediation, the situation could become very dangerous,\u201d said the former diplomat, who had coordinated the US Caucasus policy in the administration of ex-president George W. Bush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In power since 2012, Georgian Dream has seen its popularity fall over its failure to address economic stagnation and perceived backsliding on commitments to democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critics accuse the country\u2019s richest man Ivanishvili of persecuting political opponents and creating a corrupt system where private interests permeate politics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tbilisi, Feb 23\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0 Opposition parties called for major demonstrations in Georgia Tuesday after a leading political figure was arrested in an early morning raid on his party headquarters,\u00a0deepening\u00a0a spiralling political crisis following disputed parliamentary elections last year. \u00a0Hundreds of riot police used tear gas […]<\/p>\n
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