Police used water cannon to disperse protesters near Georgia’s parliament on Monday. The Interior Ministry announced that 18 people were arrested on charges of petty hooliganism and disobedience to police orders. 

The protest took place days after the country’s parliament failed to pass a planned electoral reform, a move to full proportional representation from the mixed system at present. All entrances to the parliament were blocked by opposition activists and ordinary citizens.

Senior Director of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagemen, Michael Carpenter said that it's crucial that the government respect citizens' rights to peaceful protests. 

“That said, citizens do not have a legal right to block access to the parliament building, so it will be necessary for the two sides to work out an arrangement where citizens can protest and make their views heard without undermining the functioning of the parliament”.

As he stated the ruling party is fanning the flames of civic discontent. 

“In addition, the government should enter into a dialogue with the united opposition parties and civic groups to consider holding another vote on proportional representation for the next elections, as was conceded this summer. It's very cynical for the ruling party to have made this promise and then to retract it. By doing so, they are fanning the flames of civic discontent”, he told the Accent.