On 14 December, the youth wing of the ruling Georgian Dream party organised a mass gathering at the Freedom Square in downtown Tbilisi to mark the country’s six-month chairmanship of the Council of Europe (CoE) Council of Ministers.

According to official information, thousands of Georgians from the country’s various regions travelled to Tbilisi and gathered in the middle of the capital. The Georgian Parliament’s first vice-speaker Gia Volski revealed in an interview that the Georgian government covered all the travel costs. Volski did not state the exact amount of money, though he promised that the information will soon be shared.

The Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili held a speech in front of the audience, highlighting Georgia’s democratic development. “And today, at a time when we, who stand at the [base] of great history, have obtained freedom; at a time when some recall my words concerning the creation of an amazing democracy with irony – in fact, in many ways, we are already living in a European democracy, which we were able to achieve on the basis of our values, rather than through violence or by imposing something foreign on the people,“ he stated. 

He also criticized the former government of Mikhail Saakashvili, for being responsible for the Russian occupation of the territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) and not upholding democratic principles during their reign. “And the cynicism of today lies in the fact that those who signed off on the occupation are precisely those who assumed the mantle of patriotism and blame us for the occupation[.] Those who trampled fundamental human rights, tortured and massacred their brethren in the streets, seized businesses and the media, practically abolished free speech, abolished the street – you may remember that coming out into the street was forbidden – it is precisely they that accuse us of lacking democracy, while addressing us from televisions haphazardly opened using money obtained from looting,“ he said.

Although the event was celebratory in its nature, Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomdjariya and several Georgian NGO’s reported that the residents of different Georgian regions were forced to take part in the event. “Public servants in [multiple] regions were made aware that those who refuse to participate in the rally would face problems, up to dismissal,“ Lomdjariya stated, noting that such pressure on subordinates is a criminal offense.  “Employees of local administrations are forcing school, kindergarten state and organization workers to participate in the rally, said the joint statement by the "International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy", the NGOs "International Transparency Georgia" and "Democratic Initiative of Georgia", and the "Open Society" Fund.

On 27 November, Georgia officially took the chairmanship over the Council of Europe (CoE) Council of Ministers from France. According to the ministry, Georgia will have four priorities: human rights and environment protection; civil engagement in decision-making process; jurisdiction oriented on children; and strengthening democracy with the engagement of education, culture and youth (Caucasus Watch reported).