Georgian police clash with protesters over suspension of EU talks

Demonstrators throw firecrackers toward police during a street protest in Tbilisi, Georgia, against the government suspension of negotiations on joining the European Union. Georgian Dream’s disputed victory in the country’s Oct. 26 parliamentary election, which was widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s aspirations to join the European Union, also sparked massive demonstrations and led to an opposition boycott of the Parliament. Speaking to the AP on Saturday, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said the country was becoming a “quasi-Russian” state and that Georgian Dream controlled the country’s major institutions. “Georgia has been always resisting Russian influence and will not accept having its vote stolen and its destiny stolen.” The government’s announcement that it was suspending negotiations to join the EU came hours after the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning last month’s vote as neither free nor fair. It said the election represented another manifestation of Georgia’s continued democratic backsliding “for which the ruling Georgian Dream party is fully responsible.” European election observers said October’s vote took place in a divisive atmosphere marked by manipulation and violence.