OSCE Secretary General Says Concerned By Protests In Georgia

VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2019) Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Thomas Greminger has stressed the importance of legal frameworks in ensuring peaceful dialogue in Georgia, where protests continue after lawmakers failed to pass legislative amendments changing the voting system.

"Following developments in Georgia with concern. Look to all sides to ensure peaceful protest and progress through dialogue and respect for legal frameworks," Greminger wrote on Twitter late on Monday.

On Monday, protesters blocked the entrances to the parliament building in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, prompting riot police to use water cannons to disperse the opposition supporters. According to Georgia's Interior Ministry, 37 people who took part in the protest were detained; four people, including two police officers, were injured.

Demonstrations started in Georgia last week after lawmakers failed to pass legislative amendments that would have changed the voting system to a proportional one, in which parties won seats based on the number of votes received.

The next general election in Georgia is scheduled for October 2020, but protesters demand a snap vote and the appointment of a transitional government.

The Georgian Interior Ministry has called on all of the participants in the protests in Tbilisi to comply with lawful order and warned that any attempts to storm or block state institutions would be prevented by police.