Regarded as a referendum on whether Georgia will move towards the European Union or drift closer to Russia, the October 26 election returned the ruling Georgian Dream party for another term in office, but the vote has been dogged by allegations of widespread fraud and Russian interference.

Protesters at the camp initially stated that they would stage a 24-hour demonstration, beginning on Sunday evening, but after they decided to prolong the demonstration, the police moved in to disperse them on Tuesday morning. Clashes broke out and several people were detained, the Associated Press reported.

“The party co-chairman (Nika Melia) was detained by dozens of police officers, and we managed to free him from their hands,” Nika Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, the group organizing the protest, told TVP World.

“Members of the party's political council have been arrested and injured. Party activists have been beaten and detained. A friendly cameraman from the ‘Main Channel’ was also beaten and arrested,” she added.

Critics accuse Georgian Dream, founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili—who built his fortune in Russia—of leaning toward authoritarianism and aligning with Moscow. The party has been criticized for enacting laws resembling Kremlin policies that suppress free speech.

In June, the European Union indefinitely paused Georgia’s membership application after the parliament passed a law requiring organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents,” echoing a controversial Russian law used to stifle dissent.

The Central Election Commission reported that Georgian Dream won approximately 54% of the vote in October. Party leaders have denied allegations of vote-rigging, but European observers noted that the election was marred by instances of bribery, double voting and physical violence.