Georgian’s political opposition and various activist groups, accompanied by several thousand protesters, have set up tents outside Tbilisi State University, announcing they will remain there blocking the road for 24 hours, and declaring the start of a phase of civil disobedience.

This move is the latest development in the pro-Western opposition’s continuing attempts to overturn the results of the October 26 parliamentary election, in which they claim the Moscow-friendly Georgia Dream (GD) party stole victory via a widespread scheme of electoral violations and vote rigging. The four major opposition coalitions and Georgia’s pro-Western president have declared the elections rigged and the parliament illegitimate and are calling for new elections.

A growing encampment, organised by Coalition for Change (C4C), has been set up at a key intersection in the central Vake district of Tbilisi. Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue, the main site of the protest and one of the busiest arteries in the Georgian capital, is blocked to traffic and will remain so overnight. Demonstrators have been provided with blankets and foam mats – many intend to spend the night there and there are plans to erect more tents.

Earlier in the evening, several separate marches – some led by students, others by opposition parties – convened in front of the Georgian parliament on Rustaveli Avenue for a ‘Reclaim Our Votes’ rally, to highlight the alleged widespread breaches in voter secrecy at polling stations on October 26. There, C4C leaders announced a campaign of disobedience, starting with their plan to occupy the street in front of Tbilisi State University, and urged protesters present to follow them there.

This action marks a shift in the opposition’s strategy. Intermittent rallies and marches have at last given way to indefinite protest and public disobedience, and the timing is no accident. On November 16, Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC), which has been accused of bias towards GD, confirmed the ruling party’s 53.9% majority, sparking public protests outside the CEC building and clashes with the police as demonstrators attempted to block a nearby thoroughfare in the north of the city. 

Opposition leaders, rallying the flag-bearing, cheering crowds on Chavchavadze on Sunday evening, are no doubt hoping this more active, and strenuous, form of demonstration will prove more fruitful than the somewhat underwhelming marches and rallies which have peppered the weeks since last month’s vote. These often suffered from low momentum and turnout due a mix of hesitation and incoherence on the opposition’s part.

“Marches are over. We’re standing here, and we will stay here 24/7,” Coalition for Change leader, Nika Gvaramia told protesters on Chavchavadze. The crowd seemed happy to be there and determined to stay. People waved flags, talked animatedly to friends, huddled on sleeping mats and wrapped themselves in blankets. They danced to Aretha Franklin’s ‘Think’ and Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’, which blared through speakers provided by activists and opposition groups.

The public’s upbeat attitude may stem from a sense of relief that opposition leaders appear finally to have stepped up to the plate and fully committed themselves to a tougher form of protest. bne IntelliNews caught up with 19-year-old Nini, who was sitting on the pavement with her three friends. “It’s good the opposition have finally done something,” she said, “this is better than marches and rallies.”

When asked if she planned to stay all night, Nini replied: “It’s really cold, and I have work at 8am, but I’d rather stay!” She explained that she was unsure what would happen in the morning, when traffic would need to flow again to transport the Tbilisi population to work. “The police will try and clear us to let the buses through,” said Nini, “but we will not go.”