TBILISI, June 28 – A major scuffle in Georgia’s parliament on Friday began after an opposition MP mocked Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s political standing, according to a detailed reconstruction published by Rezonansi.
DFWatch has already reported that MPs from the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition Gakharia for Georgia clashed physically during the final day of parliament’s spring session. Rezonansi’s account adds more detail about how the confrontation started and how both sides are now explaining it.
The incident took place on June 26, after Kobakhidze presented his annual report to parliament. The tension rose when Giorgi Sharashidze, a member of Gakharia for Georgia, addressed the prime minister from the podium.
Sharashidze referred to footage from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Georgia and told Kobakhidze that he had been standing “in the corner.” He said this showed the prime minister’s real role and place in the government.
The remark drew shouting and insulting replies from Georgian Dream MPs. Sharashidze answered with a short retort, then later left the podium and moved toward the chamber, saying, “What are you doing?”
Rezonansi wrote that video footage showed Georgian Dream MPs sitting behind Giga Parulava, another member of Gakharia’s party, speaking to him loudly and emotionally. Soon afterward, the physical confrontation began.
The opposition says Georgian Dream MP Irakli Kheladze started the fight by hitting Parulava first. Georgian Dream says Gakharia’s team had been instructed to insult and provoke ruling party members.
The fight lasted several minutes and spread to several parts of the chamber. According to Rezonansi, dozens of ruling party MPs took part, including former Olympic champions Lasha Talakhadze and Geno Petriashvili. Several MPs from both sides received light injuries.
The newspaper also reported that parliament ushers tried to separate the sides, but initially struggled because of the number of people involved. Some MPs from both the ruling party and the opposition also tried to stop the fight.
The live broadcast was temporarily cut and the session was suspended. It later resumed, but the atmosphere remained tense.
Kobakhidze blamed the opposition, saying its representatives had no arguments and moved to insults and physical confrontation. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili also accused an unnamed opposition representative of provocation.
Levan Machavariani, a senior Georgian Dream faction official, said Gakharia’s team had been tasked with insulting ruling party members, and that Georgian Dream had tolerated it “as long as we could.”
Gakharia, a former prime minister and now opposition leader, said the incident showed that being in the opposition in Georgia had become a physical safety risk.
His party placed full responsibility on the government. MP Vika Pilpani said Kheladze verbally insulted Parulava before hitting him, and claimed the attack had been prepared.
