Defiant Georgia opposition stages fresh protest despite crackdownProtesters demanding the government's resignation and early parliamentary polls rally in front of the parliament in TbilisiTBILISI - Up to 20,000 opposition supporters rallied in Georgia on Monday, stepping up pressure on the increasingly unpopular ruling party, despite a police crackdown last week and the arrest of protesters. "Georgian people and the entire opposition spectrum is trying to force the ruling party to introduce a fair electoral system in the country," the leader of opposition Republican Party, Levan Berdzenishvili, told AFP. In the early hours on Tuesday, police arrested five protesters and briefly detained prominent opposition MPs, Giga Bokeria of the European Georgia party, and Tengiz Gunava of Georgia's main opposition force, the United National Movement. Ivanishvili had promised "large-scale political reform" following a summer of protests that saw 240 people injured in a police crackdown. In power since 2012, the ruling party has seen its popularity plummet amid widespread discontent over economic stagnation and perceived backsliding on its commitment to democracy.

Source: Bangkok Post November 26, 2019 00:22 UTC