Mikheil Kavelashvili was sworn in as president of Georgia on Sunday as thousands of protesters gathered in the capital Tbilisi to demonstrate against his inauguration. Outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili, an opponent of the ruling Georgian Dream party said in a defiant speech to supporters outside the presidential palace that she was leaving the residence but that Kavelashvili had no legitimacy as president.
Amid a political crisis and major protests after the government announced it would postpone discussions on Georgia’s membership of the European Union, Zourabichvili says that Kavelashvili was not properly appointed, as the parliamentarians who chose him were elected in an October parliamentary election that she says was fraudulent.
On the other hand, the Georgian Dream ruling party said that the October election was free and fair while also insisting that Kavelashvili was the duly elected president. After the inauguration, Zourabichvili said "I am taking legitimacy with me, I am taking the flag with me, I am taking your trust with me," before walking out of the palace to join her supporters. Zourabichvili is backed by the country’s four main pro-EU opposition parties, which have boycotted parliament since the election. They say she will remain the legitimate president until fresh elections are held.
The presidential standoff was seen as a watershed moment in Georgia and a showdown between the pro-Western opposition and a governing party that is departing from the pledge to take Georgia on the path to EU membership. The government’s announcement to postpone EU talks until 2028 sparked widespread anger among Georgians, who polls show are firmly pro-EU. It also prompted a police crackdown with over 400 people, including senior opposition leaders being detained.
Kavelashvili is a loyalist of Bidzina Ivanishvili the billionaire ex-prime minister who is widely seen as Georgia’s de facto leader. On Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on Ivanishvili, saying he was spearheading Georgia’s current anti-Western and pro-Russian turn.
Kavelashvili, a former professional soccer player who briefly played as a striker for Manchester City, has repeatedly accused Western intelligence agencies of plotting to drive Georgia into war with neighbouring Russia. Protesters outside parliament on Sunday held up red cards in a mocking reference to Kavelashvili's football career. Local media reported that six people were briefly detained amid scuffles with the police.
Georgian Dream got almost 54 per cent of the vote in October's election, according to official results but local and international election monitors have said the vote was marked by violations that could have affected the results. Western countries have called for an investigation.
