Fifth President Zourabichvili to address nation at Independence Day rally in Tbilisi

Georgia’s fifth President, Salome Zourabichvili, is set to deliver a speech this evening on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi, as the nation prepares for a series of events commemorating Independence Day. The address, initially scheduled for 19:00, has been postponed to 21:00.

The planned events - organised by the May 26 National Committee in coordination with opposition parties and civil society groups - will take place later on Monday and are expected to draw large crowds to the capital under the banner Georgia Will Protect You Again.

Beginning at 15:00, Rustaveli Avenue will serve as the main stage for a programme that blends civic activism, cultural expression, and student engagement. The stretch from the Rustaveli Theatre to the Student Youth Palace will be closed to traffic and transformed into a space of commemoration and protest.

At 16:00, a Cultural March will begin at the Philharmonic Concert Hall, where prominent figures from the arts will lead a procession to Parliament. Organisers describe the march as an artistic manifesto in defence of democratic values.

An open-air exhibition space is scheduled to open at 17:00. At 20:00, in front of the First Gymnasium on Rustaveli Avenue, students from ten Georgian universities will share their visions for the country’s future.

The day’s events are timed to coincide with Georgia’s Independence Day, which marks the 1918 founding of the First Democratic Republic following the collapse of the Russian Empire. But organisers say the meaning of today’s gatherings extends beyond historical commemoration.

In a statement shared on social media, the May 26 National Committee accused the current government of attempting to erode Georgia’s sovereignty and democratic achievements. The statement referred to the ruling Georgian Dream party as a “puppet government of Russian Ivanishvili,” a reference to the party’s founder and former Prime Minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

“The Russian Empire, which destroyed the First Republic and tried to erase the legacy of those who fought for freedom, is once again targeting our independence,” the organisers wrote. “But on the 180th day of protest, Georgian society, united as one, will show once again that we will defend our homeland - always.”

Zourabichvili is expected to use her evening speech to reaffirm Georgia’s democratic aspirations and commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration.

The Independence Day events come amid months of mass protests against the government’s decision late last year to halt the country’s EU integration until 2028. 

Security forces have been deployed throughout the capital ahead of the planned events, with authorities urging calm and peaceful participation.

Georgia celebrates Independence Day each year on 26 May, commemorating its brief but historic emergence as a sovereign democratic republic before Soviet occupation in 1921.