Garibashvili government handed "red card"

Today in Tbilisi thousands of members of the former ruling party of ex-President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, the United National Movement (UNM) and their supporters took part in a rally, demanding the resignation of the government. The demonstrators processed through the main streets of the city to Freedom Square and then to the building of the State Chancellery, where the government of Georgia was handed a symbolic "red card", balloons in the form of sharks and penguins released into the air, and then the crowd dispersed peacefully. According to the media, 10-15 thousand people participated in the action, the organizers claim about 50 thousand participants.The opposition party 'Free Democrats', whose leader is former Defense Minister Irakli Alasania, said that as well as the UNM, he supports the government's resignation, but he will not get involved in any procedures regarding this.Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili condemned the action by the United National Movement, saying that it was an attempt by "destructive forces" aimed at "artificial difficulty" to harm Georgia.International experts have previously given advice to the Chief Prosecutor's Office of Georgia to pursue a criminal case against Saakashvili and his team on another criminal case, in particular, the case of the assault in July 2005 on Georgian MP Valeri Gelashvili.The ex-president is currently wanted in Georgia as part of a domestic investigation. The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has brought charges in three criminal cases against Saakashvili - on embezzlement of public funds for personal use amounting to about $5 million, and he is also being prosecuted in absentia on charges of abuse of power in the case of the events of November 7th 2007 and the assault on deputy Valery Gelashvili.Saakashvili's party lost power as a result of the parliamentary elections in 2012, which were won by the Georgian Dream coalition, created by the Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Today in Tbilisi thousands of members of the former ruling party of ex-President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, the United National Movement (UNM) and their supporters took part in a rally, demanding the resignation of the government. The demonstrators processed through the main streets of the city to Freedom Square and then to the building of the State Chancellery, where the government of Georgia was handed a symbolic "red card", balloons in the form of sharks and penguins released into the air, and then the crowd dispersed peacefully. According to the media, 10-15 thousand people participated in the action, the organizers claim about 50 thousand participants.

The opposition party 'Free Democrats', whose leader is former Defense Minister Irakli Alasania, said that as well as the UNM, he supports the government's resignation, but he will not get involved in any procedures regarding this.
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili condemned the action by the United National Movement, saying that it was an attempt by "destructive forces" aimed at "artificial difficulty" to harm Georgia.

International experts have previously given advice to the Chief Prosecutor's Office of Georgia to pursue a criminal case against Saakashvili and his team on another criminal case, in particular, the case of the assault in July 2005 on Georgian MP Valeri Gelashvili.

The ex-president is currently wanted in Georgia as part of a domestic investigation. The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has brought charges in three criminal cases against Saakashvili - on embezzlement of public funds for personal use amounting to about $5 million, and he is also being prosecuted in absentia on charges of abuse of power in the case of the events of November 7th 2007 and the assault on deputy Valery Gelashvili.

Saakashvili's party lost power as a result of the parliamentary elections in 2012, which were won by the Georgian Dream coalition, created by the Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.