TBILISI -- Tbilisi remained tense after a night of clashes between protesters and riot police during local elections that saw the ruling Georgian Dream party tighten its grip on power amid opposition boycotts and growing Western concern that the country is drifting closer to Moscow.
The unrest marked one of the most serious challenges to the government in months, coming as thousands rallied against what they called an increasingly authoritarian government.
On October 4, Georgian riot police used pepper spray and water cannons to drive protesters away from the presidential palace in the capital and detained at least five leaders of the opposition demonstrations.
Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said the detainees had been taken into custody, including activists and protest organizers Paata Burchuladze and Murtaz Zodelava.
Those detained "are accused of violently changing the constitutional order of Georgia or calling for the overthrow of the state government, as well as organizing, leading, and participating in group violence. The crimes envisage up to nine years in prison," Darakhvelidze said.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said the attempt to "overthrow" the government had failed and that those who participated in it would be "severely punished."
He added that "strict measures" would be implemented in the coming days following the protest, which appeared to be mostly broken up by around midnight local time.
Preliminary official results from the October 4 local elections had Georgian Dream claiming to have won control in every municipality in a vote boycotted by much of the opposition amid fears the results could be falsified by authorities.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on October 5 condemned the election process, saying it came "amid a period of extensive crackdown on dissent."
"Months of raids on independent media, the passing of laws targeting civil society, the jailing of opponents and activists or amendments to the electoral code favoring the ruling party drastically reduced the possibility of having competitive elections."
"A large part of the opposition boycotted these elections, and the turnout was relatively low," Kallas said in a statement.
Rights groups also assailed the atmosphere surrounding the vote.
Amnesty International said it "has documented a sweeping campaign of repression, including politically motivated prosecutions of opposition figures, the silencing of independent media and civil society through restrictive laws and punitive measures, and the widespread arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of protesters."
On the day of the vote, thousands of people, many waving Georgian and EU flags, took to the streets following calls by opposition parties for large protests against the ruling Georgian Dream party as ballots were being cast for local elections. At least nine opposition groups urged a boycott of the vote.
The protesters' aim was to revitalize daily demonstrations that began last year following alleged violations in parliamentary elections and a subsequent government decision to halt talks on joining the European Union. The opposition also criticized what it saw as the government's growing Russia-friendly policies.
The anti-government protests have largely quieted down over recent months following earlier crackdowns.
On October 4, crowds started to gather shortly after voting began, with some organizers saying the aim was the "peaceful overthrow of the government."
But around 7 p.m., they began moving toward the presidential palace. As a group of demonstrators attempted to break through the palace fences, Georgia's Interior Ministry declared that the rally had "exceeded the norms set by law."
Police responded by deploying water cannons and pepper spray. According to witnesses, they also used tear gas to push back protesters.
Georgia's former president, Salome Zurabishvili, who has opposed the Georgian Dream party and previously led peaceful protests against its rule, said she opposed any violence and accused the government of "staging" the attack on the presidential palace to discredit the opposition.
"I’m on Rustaveli Avenue on the 310th day of peaceful protest for Georgia’s European future. The regime’s staged 'takeover' of the Presidential Palace is a provocation. We won’t fall for it -- we stand for free and fair elections and a European Georgia," she wrote on X.
Video coverage by RFE/RL's Georgian Service showed both police officers and protesters were engaging in physical confrontations, with demonstrators throwing unidentified objects.
According to Georgia's Interior Ministry, 21 of its officers and six protesters were injured during the clashes. Details could not immediately be confirmed, although videos and live feeds from the ground showed injuries among protesters.
Before his detention, activist Burchuladze called on Interior Ministry employees to listen to the voices of the people and to arrest senior figures of the Georgian Dream party.
Ahead of the demonstration, authorities pledged a tough response to those it cast as seeking "revolution."
