Crisis Rock Georgia As outgoing President’s Refusal To Quit As Successor Assumes Power
Scores of Georgians have hit the streets in the capital, Tbilisi, as Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former professional footballer, was inaugurated as the new president.
Mr Kavelashvili’s inauguration came following the country’s critical suspension of its application to join the European Union.
In October, the Georgian Dream party emerged victorious in the parliamentary elections amid allegations of fraud, resulting in several street protests.
However, outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili said she would not step down, insisting she is the “only legitimate president”.
“This building was a symbol only as long as a legitimate president was sitting here,” Ms Zourabichvili noted while addressing protesters outside the presidential palace on Sunday.
Although Ms Zourabichvili expressed her willingness to leave the presidential palace, she labelled Kavelashvili’s election as a “travesty” inimical to the country’s democratic future.
After taking the oath of office in a private ceremony at parliament, Kavelashvili showered praises on Georgian “traditions, values and national identity.”
“Our history clearly shows that, after countless struggles to defend our homeland and traditions, peace has always been one of the main goals and values for the Georgian people,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the country’s four main opposition groups have boycotted the parliament, questioning Kavelashvili’s legitimacy, as his election has been widely criticized.
