People attend a rally ahead of the inauguration of Georgian President-elect Mikheil Kavelashvili in Tbilisi on December 29, 2024. Mikheil Kavelashvili was sworn in at a parliamentary ceremony after outgoing President Salome Zurabishvili said she was “the only legitimate president.” To continue the fight against the Georgian Dream party that controls the parliament. (Photo by Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE/AFP) (Photo by GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE/AFP via Getty Images)
George Alevanitze | AFP | Getty Images
Mikheil Kavelashvili, a hardline critic of the West, was sworn in as Georgia’s president on Sunday amid a political crisis after the government froze talks on EU applications, a move that sparked mass protests.
Outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-EU opponent of the ruling party, said in a defiant speech to supporters outside the presidential palace that she would leave the residence, but Kavela Shvili has no legitimacy as president, and the presidency is largely ceremonial.
She said: “I will leave here to be with you”.
“I carry the legitimacy, I carry the flag, I carry your trust,” she added, before walking out of the palace to mingle with her supporters.
Zurabichvili said Kaverashvili was not officially selected because the MPs who selected him were elected in October’s parliamentary elections, which she said were fraudulent. Georgia’s opposition parties backed her.
The Georgia Dream ruling party and the country’s electoral commission said October’s elections were free and fair. The ruling party said Kavelashvili was the duly elected president.
The presidential standoff is seen as a watershed moment for Georgia, a mountainous country of 3.7 million people that until recently was seen as one of the most democratic and pro-Western of the former Soviet states.
Kaverashvili is a loyal supporter of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the reclusive billionaire former prime minister who is widely viewed as As the de facto leader of Georgia.
The United States imposed sanctions on Ivanishvili on Friday, calling him the leader of Georgia’s current anti-Western and pro-Russian turn.
Protesters hold up red signs
Kavelashvili, a former professional footballer who briefly played as a striker for Manchester City, has repeatedly accused Western intelligence agencies of conspiring to push Georgia into a war with neighboring Russia.
“The Georgian people have always understood that peace is the main prerequisite for survival and development,” he said after being sworn in on Sunday.
Protesters outside parliament raised red cards and mocked Kaverashvili’s sporting career.
Georgian Dream received nearly 54% of the official vote in the October election.
Local and international election monitors said there were irregularities in the vote that could have affected the outcome. Western countries have called for an investigation.
On December 29, 2024, Mikhail Kaverashvili, who was elected by legislators as the new president of Georgia, was sworn in at the swearing-in ceremony of the Tbilisi Parliament. President Salome was sworn in at a parliamentary ceremony shortly after. Zurabishvili said that she was the “only legitimate president” and vowed to continue to fight against the Georgian Dream party that controls parliament. (Photo: Irakli Gedenidze/POOL/AFP) (Photo: IRAKLI GEDENIDZE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Irakli Gednize AFP | Getty Images
Zurabicvili is backed by the country’s four main pro-EU opposition parties, which have boycotted parliament since the election. They said she would remain the legitimate president until new elections were held.
The confrontation comes amid a month of protests over Georgian Dream’s move to postpone EU accession talks until 2028, abruptly ending the long-standing national goal of joining the EU enshrined in the country’s constitution.
The move sparked widespread anger among Georgians, who polls show strong support for the EU, and triggered a police crackdown that saw more than 400 people, including senior opposition leaders, detained.
Zurabichvili accused the “Georgian Dream” of deliberately extinguishing Georgia’s hopes of joining the EU and instead moving closer to Russia, from which Georgia gained independence in 1991.
Opposition supporters say the presidency, under Zurabichvili, is the only institution in the country that is ultimately not under the control of ruling party founder Ivanishvili. He was elected with the support of “Georgian Dream” but broke with the party in recent years.
They say that with Kaverashvili coming to power, Ivanishvili will take full control of Georgia.
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