Georgia gets new PM; opposition leader gets arrested

Demonstrators set up tents outside Georgia's parliament building and blocked the capital's main avenue on Tuesday to protest against the arrest of the leader of the South Caucasian country's main opposition party.

The demonstration in Tbilisi came hours after police stormed the headquarters of the United National Movement and arrested its chairman, lawmaker Nika Melia.

In the afternoon, protesters rallied outside the parliament building in central Tbilisi to denounce Melia's arrest and demand early elections. They also blocked traffic along the city's main thoroughfare.

Georgian media reported about 20 other people were also arrested at the party's headquarters.

Seventeen people were injured in scuffles between police officers and protesters, the Interfax news agency reported. Some activists were coughing and suffered eye irritation after police sprayed tear gas at them from hand-held canisters.

The political situation in Georgia has been tense since a fall parliamentary election amid allegations of voter fraud. The opposition is demanding a rerun of the vote.

Before the police raid, parliament members named a new prime minister to replace Giorgi Gakharia, who opposed arresting Melia because of concern it would escalate the country's political crisis.

Melia has been accused of inciting violence at street protests in June 2019, a charge he dismissed as politically motivated.

The new prime minister, Irakli Garibashvili, said the politician's arrest was justified.

"We are building a democratic state, and everyone in the country, no matter to their taste and political views, must obey the law," he said.

Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, also defended the police raid.

"Polarization is a result of criminals being in politics, not of so-called politicians being in jail," he said in a televised statement.

The crisis started in October when the Georgian Dream coalition again swept to victory, but opposition groups claim the voting was rigged.

The United National Movement party, founded by Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia's former president now living in exile in Ukraine, won just 27 percent of the vote. Melia was named the party's new leader in December.

Agencies via Xinhua contributed to this story.