New Georgian president sworn in; predecessor says he is not legitimate leader

In the midst of a political crisis, Mikheil Kavelashvili, a staunch opponent of the West, was sworn in as Georgia’s president on Sunday after the government halted application talks for membership in the European Union, a decision that provoked widespread demonstrations. In a defiant speech to supporters outside the presidential house, outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-EU opponent of the ruling party, stated that Kavelashvili had no validity as president, which is primarily a ceremonial function, but she was departing the mansion. She responded by saying: “I will come out of here and be with you.” She went on to say, “I am taking legitimacy with me, I am taking the flag with me, I am taking your trust with me,” before leaving the palace to socialize with her followers.

Since the parliamentarians who selected Kavelashvili were elected in an October parliamentary election that Zourabichvili claims was tainted by fraud, she claims that Kavelashvili was not properly chosen. She is backed by Georgia’s opposition parties. According to the nation’s election commission and ruling Georgian Dream party, the October election was free and fair. Kavelashvili is the legitimately elected president, according to the ruling party.
Georgia, a 3.7 million-person mountain nation that was once thought to be one of the most democratic and pro-Western of the former Soviet governments, views the presidential stalemate as a turning point.

Kavelashvili is a supporter of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the de facto leader of Georgia and a reclusive wealthy former prime minister. The United States placed sanctions on Ivanishvili on Friday, claiming he was leading Georgia’s current pro-Russian and anti-Western trend. Former professional football player Kavelashvili, who briefly played as a striker for Manchester City, has accused Western intelligence services of conspiring to get Georgia to go to war with Russia. “The Georgian people have always understood that peace is the main prerequisite for survival and development,” he stated following his inauguration on Sunday. Outside parliament, protesters mocked Kavelashvili’s athletic career by brandishing red cards. Six people were briefly detained during altercations with the police, according to local media.

“Right now, this so-called government is telling us that they inaugurated the new president, but there is no new president for us, for Georgian people who are standing here day and night,” Mariam Japaridze, a protester, told Reuters” We have only one legitimate president, and this is Salome Zourabichvili,” she stated. According to official figures, Georgian Dream received about 54% of the vote in the election held in October. According to both domestic and foreign election observers, there were infractions during the vote that might have impacted the outcome. Western nations have demanded an inquiry.

The four major pro-EU opposition parties in the nation, who have abstained from parliament since the election, support Zourabichvili. They claim that until new elections are held, she will continue to be the lawful president.
The clash takes place after a month of protests after Georgian Dream abruptly ended a long-standing national aspiration to join the EU, which is enshrined in the country’s constitution, by suspending membership talks until 2028. Georgians, who are strongly pro-EU according to polls, were deeply incensed by the action, which led to a police response that resulted in the arrest of over 400 people, including top opposition figures.

Georgian Dream has been accused by Zourabichvili of purposefully undermining Georgia’s aspirations of joining the EU in favor of Russia, from which Georgia achieved independence in 1991. Under Zourabichvili, who was elected in 2018 with Georgian Dream’s backing before splitting from the party in recent years, opposition supporters claim that the president was the only institution in the nation that was not ultimately controlled by ruling party founder Ivanishvili. They say that with the installation of Kavelashvili, Ivanishvili will have total control over Georgia.