Thousands of Georgians demonstrated in the capital Tbilisi as a new president aligned with the ruling Georgian Dream party was inaugurated
Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former professional footballer, was sworn in during a pivotal political moment for the country after the government halted its application to join the European Union.
Georgian Dream secured parliamentary elections in October, but the victory was tainted by accusations of fraud, which have led to multiple street protests since.
Outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili refused to resign on Sunday, asserting she was the “only legitimate president. “
Speaking to the crowds outside, Zourabichvili stated she would vacate the presidential palace but labeled her successor as illegitimate.
“This building was a symbol only as long as a legitimate president was sitting here,” she remarked.
A short walk away, Kavelashvili took the oath at a private ceremony in parliament, where he was joined by his family. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also participated in the inauguration.
After the swearing-in, Kavelashvili commended Georgian “traditions, values, national identity, the sanctity of the family, and faith. “
“Our history clearly illustrates that, after numerous struggles to defend our homeland and traditions, peace has always been one of the primary goals and values for the Georgian people,” he stated.
Georgia’s four main opposition parties have disavowed Kavelashvili and are boycotting parliament.
Kavelashvili is a former MP with the Georgian Dream party and was the sole candidate for the position. Zourabichvili had previously condemned his election as a sham.
Georgian Dream has become more authoritarian in recent years, enacting laws similar to those in Russia that target media and non-governmental organizations receiving foreign funding, as well as the LGBT community.
The party declined to impose Western sanctions on Russia following the large-scale invasion of Ukraine and referred to the West as the “global war party,” undermining its professed goal of joining the EU and NATO.
A significant majority of Georgians support the country’s journey towards the EU, which is enshrined in the constitution.
However, in November, the ruling party announced that the government would not pursue EU accession talks until 2028.
This declaration ignited days of protests, during which riot police deployed tear gas and water cannons against protesters, who retaliated by throwing fireworks and stones.
On Saturday, demonstrators waving Georgian and EU flags gathered once more ahead of the inauguration, creating a human chain that stretched for kilometers.
“I am out in the street together with my whole family trying somehow to tear this small country out of the claws of the Russian empire,” one protester told the Associated Press.
This week, the US imposed sanctions on Georgia’s former prime minister and billionaire founder of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Georgia operates as a parliamentary democracy, with the president serving as the head of state and the prime minister as the head of parliament.
When Zourabichvili assumed the presidency in 2018, she was backed by Georgian Dream, but she has since criticized their disputed electoral victory in late October as a “Russian special operation” and has supported nightly pro-EU demonstrations outside parliament.
