Clashes Between Georgia's UNM and GD Leave 3 Injured Ahead of Key Elections
DIDINEDZI, Georgia- Three young members of the ruling party Georgian Dream (GD) were taken to hospital over the weekend after a violent incident took place Saturday night between supporters of the GD and their bitter political rivals the United National Movement (UNM).
The incident took place in the village of Didinedzi, located in western Georgia’s Zugdidi region late Saturday night and according to a doctor at the local hospital Zugdidi hospital, all three individuals were in stable condition.
Two of the injured people – a 19-year-old girl and an 18-year-old-boy – remain in hospital as they are undergoing treatments for concussions.
Local police officials say they have launched an investigation into the incident.
Both the UNM and GS accuse each other of staging a “well-organized violent provocation” ahead of Saturday’s parliamentary elections.
Members of the Georgian Dream say they were distributing fliers in Didinedzi when a group of UNM supporters approached them and began to physically and verbally abuse GD activists.
GD Executive Secretary Irakli Kobakhidze publicly demanded that the UNM avoid taking any actions that might incite violence in the final days of the campaign season.
Tengiz Gunava, a member of the UNM Political Council, refuted the GD’s claim, saying the Head of the UNM headquarters in Didinedzi, Papuna Kukava was driving home with his family, when the GD members blocked the road, verbally abused him and refused to let him go. Gunava explains that locals also arrived at the place and a clash took place.
The Head of the UNM headquarters in Didinedzi, Papuna Kukava was driving home with his family, when the GD members blocked the road, verbally abused him and refused to let him go. Gunava explains that locals also arrived at the place and a clash took place.
The UNM says they believe the incident was planned by the local Georgian Dream Governor Levan Shonia and his tapped successor Lasha Gogia, as well as GD parliamentary candidate Edisher Toloraia.
UNM member Giorgi Tugushi called on law enforcement officials to act quickly as they begin their investigation. Tugushi claims the incident is part of a wider campaign of intimidation launched by the ruling GD ahead of the October 8 elections.
“Recently, we have noticed that the government is encouraging violence,” Tugushi said.
Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili condemned the incident but refused to assign blame until the investigation concluded.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) operating in Georgia issued a joint statement saying any such incidents threaten the free and fair election environment that has been so carefully fostered by Georgia’s civil society.
“Any physical confrontation leads to an escalation of tensions between the political forces and lays the groundwork for the possibility of additional violence on election day,” the NGO’s statement said.
By Thea Morrison
Edited by Nicholas Waller