ISTANBUL

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused protesters in the capital Tbilisi of trying to overthrow the government as the ruling party declared victory in local elections on Saturday.

The Georgian Dream party received over 1.1 million votes, about 81.6% of ballots cast, in Saturday’s local election, according to data from the Central Election Commission, which was boycotted by multiple opposition parties.

The opposition later organized a large rally in Tbilisi against the vote, involving thousands and an attempt to storm the Orbeliani Palace, the presidential residence. Law enforcers used pepper spray and water cannons to disperse the protesters.

Five of the rally’s organizers were detained, while six protesters and 21 law enforcement officers were hospitalized during the protests, public broadcaster 1TV reported.

At a news briefing on Sunday, Kobakhidze said between 5,000 and 7,000 people attended the rally, which he argued aimed to overthrow the government.

“They moved to action, began the overthrow attempt, it failed, and then they started distancing themselves from it,” Kobakhidze was quoted as saying by the Interpressnews.

He said “no one will remain unpunished,” and that some only distanced themselves from the attempt to overthrow the government after it failed.

“However, of course, no one will escape responsibility. This includes political responsibility,” the premier added.

He accused EU Ambassador Paweł Herczynski of bearing “special responsibility” for the protests on Saturday.

“He should come out, distance himself and strictly condemn everything that is happening on the streets of Tbilisi. This is his direct responsibility in the context when we saw and directly heard statements of support for the attempt to overthrow the constitutional order,” he said.

Protests against the government have continued since last October last year, when Georgian Dream declared victory in a parliamentary election, which the opposition branded fraudulent.

The EU did not immediately comment on Kobakhidze’s accusation. Its diplomatic service had said in July that the bloc "firmly rejects and condemns the disinformation and baseless accusations by the Georgian authorities regarding the EU’s role in Georgia" and denounces "personal attacks" against Herczynski.