Tbilisi demonstrations Presidential residence

Tbilisi, Georgia (dpa0 — A group of demonstrators attempted to storm the presidential residence in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Saturday, which was also when municipal elections were held.

Local television footage showed police pushing back protesters who had torn down a massive metal fence and entered the grounds in front of the building. The police also used a water cannon to disperse the protest in front of the residence.

Georgians across the South Caucasus republic were called to vote on Saturday in municipal elections. The country has been in a political crisis since the controversial parliamentary election over a year ago, in which the ruling Georgian Dream party declared itself the winner.

Some opposition parties boycotted the municipal elections in protest. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Tbilisi to demonstrate against the ruling party.

The disputed parliamentary election and the subsequent suspension of EU rapprochement by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the populist Georgian Dream party triggered weeks of mass protests around the turn of the year, particularly in Tbilisi but also in other cities.

The election has further strained relations between Tbilisi and Brussels.