Former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili was formally inaugurated as Georgia's president on Sunday, consolidating control of the ruling party in what the opposition calls a blow to the country's European Union aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia.
Georgia's outgoing pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, said on Sunday morning that she would leave her residence at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, but insisted she was still the rightful holder of the office.
“I will leave here, I will come out to you and I will be with you. … This presidential residence was a symbol as long as there was a legitimate president here. I bring legitimacy with me,” Zourabichvili told a crowd of supporters outside the palace.
He called Kavelashvili's inauguration a “travesty.”
Kavelashvili, 53, who was the only candidate on the ballot, easily won the vote in early December as the Georgian Dream party controlled a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. It is made up of members of Parliament, municipal councils and regional legislatures.
In his speech on Sunday, Kavelashvili promised to be “everyone's president, regardless of whether they like me or not.” He called on the nation to unite behind him around “shared values, principles of mutual respect and the future we must build together.”
Georgian Dream retained control of Parliament in the South Caucasus nation in Oct. 26 elections that the opposition says were rigged with help from Moscow. The party has promised to continue pushing for accession to the European Union, but also wants to “reestablish” ties with Russia.
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Georgia's outgoing president and major pro-Western parties boycotted post-election parliamentary sessions and demanded a repeat vote.
In 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow's recognition of two breakaway regions as independent and an increase in Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Critics have accused Georgian Dream, founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, an obscure billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied. The party recently pushed for laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to suppress free speech and LGBTQ2 rights.
Georgian Dream's decision last month to suspend talks on its country's bid to join the EU added to opposition outrage and galvanized protests.
Protesters outside the parliament building on Sunday showed red cards, in reference to Kavelashvili's career in football.
“As today our president is a footballer, we showed him a red card. The next step will be to remove him from the playing fields. The Georgian people will definitely do this, because what they organized today in parliament was a circus,” said protester Sofia Shamanidi. The Associated Press.
The outgoing president demands new elections
Zourabichvili, 72, was born in France to parents with Georgian roots and had a successful career in the French Foreign Ministry before President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed her Georgia's top diplomat in 2004.
Constitutional changes made the president's job largely ceremonial before Zourabichvili was elected by popular vote with the support of Georgian Dream in 2018. She became harshly critical of the ruling party, accusing it of pro-Russian policies, and Georgian Dream attempted without success subjecting her to impeachment.
Zourabichvili has rejected government claims that the opposition was fomenting violence.
“We are not demanding a revolution,” he said. The Associated Press. “We ask for new elections, but under conditions that guarantee that the will of the people will not be distorted or stolen again.
Who is the new president?
Georgia's opposition has mocked Kavelashvili for lacking higher education.
He was a striker in the English Premier League for Manchester City and played for several clubs in the Swiss Super League. He was elected to Parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream ticket and in 2022 he co-founded the People Power political movement, which allied itself with the Georgian Dream and became known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric.
Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power,” similar to a Russian law used to discredit organizations. reviews.
The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that the country complied with the bloc's recommendations, suspended its membership and cut financial support in June following the passage of the “foreign influence” law.
How did the protests develop?
Thousands of protesters converged on the parliament building each night after the government announced the suspension of EU accession talks on November 28.
Riot police used water cannon and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat dozens of protesters, some of whom threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the capital's central boulevard. Hundreds of people were detained and more than 100 treated for injuries.
Several journalists were beaten by police and media workers accused authorities of using thugs to discourage people from attending anti-government demonstrations, which Georgian Dream denies. The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from US and EU officials.
© 2024 The Canadian Press