"What happened today was sabotage. 100,000-150,000 people came out, and we were told a story," said opera singer Paata Burchuladze on Palitranews, responding to the speech of Georgia's fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, during the ongoing protest on Rustaveli Avenue.

Paata Burchuladze called on citizens to gather on Rustaveli Avenue on April 8 in the evening and not to disperse until new elections are scheduled and political prisoners are released.

"Today was a deeply disappointing moment. When tens of thousands—perhaps over 100,000—people showed up, everyone expressed frustration because, once again, there's some plan, but no one knows when it will actually happen. People here don’t have the time to wait anymore. The country is slipping away; it is already heading in a different direction. There are mothers standing here whose children are sitting in prison. Preparing for new elections? What elections are we talking about when the country is being lost?

They cut off our microphones, and we had to speak through a [megaphone]. I proposed that we all gather again on April 8 in the evening and stay until we receive a clear response that elections will be held immediately and, most importantly, that political prisoners will be released. There will be additional demands as well.

We must make the decision because no one else is doing anything. We are standing here waiting, and four months have already passed. Four months! And now, apparently, the president is planning to create some platform and draft some kind of plan. I have no idea what’s going on. What happened today was sabotage—100,000-150,000 people came out, and we were told a story about how Georgia was formed. This cannot continue.

If the people choose a leader, we must elect someone young, sharp-minded, and capable of leading everything. However, we haven’t discussed this yet—I don’t even know who to discuss it with. I am speaking to everyone on Rustaveli as if they were my own family," Paata Burchuladze stated.