Reuters/EPAThousands of Georgians protested in the capital Tbilisi following the inauguration of a new president aligned with the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Former professional soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili took the oath at a politically important moment for the country, after the government suspended its application to join the European Union.
Georgian Dream won parliamentary elections in October, but the victory was mired in fraud allegations and subsequently sparked several street protests.
Outgoing President Salome Zurabichvili refused to resign on Sunday, saying she was the “only legitimate president.”
ReutersZurabichvili addressed the crowd outside, saying he intended to leave the presidential palace but unfairly stigmatizing his successor.
“This building was only a symbol while the legitimate president was sitting here,” she says.
Mr. Kavelashvili was sworn in in a private ceremony in Parliament, a few minutes’ walk away, accompanied by his family. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also attended the inauguration ceremony.
In his speech after being sworn in, Kavelashvili praised Georgia’s “traditions, values, national character, sanctity of the family and faith.”
“Our history clearly shows that peace has always been one of the main goals and values of the Georgian people, through countless struggles to protect the homeland and traditions,” he said.
AFP (via Getty Images)Georgia’s four main opposition parties rejected Kavelashvili and boycotted parliament.
Kavelashvili, a former member of the Georgian Dream party, was the only candidate for the position. Zurabichvili has previously denounced his election as a farce.
Georgian Dream has become increasingly authoritarian in recent years, passing Russian-style laws targeting foreign-funded media, non-governmental organizations and the LGBT community.
He refused to join Western sanctions against Russia even after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, called Western countries “parties to the world war” and ridiculed the stated goal of joining the EU and NATO.
An overwhelming majority of Georgians support the country’s path to EU membership, which is part of the constitution.
But the country’s ruling party said in November that the government would not seek EU accession talks until 2028.
The announcement sparked days of protests, with riot police using tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators, who responded by throwing fireworks and stones.
On Saturday, demonstrators waving Georgian and EU flags gathered again ahead of the inauguration, forming a human chain stretching several kilometers.
“I am out in the streets with my whole family trying to somehow tear this small country from the claws of the Russian Empire,” one demonstrator told The Associated Press.
The United States this week imposed sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s former prime minister and billionaire founder of Georgian Dream.
Georgia is a parliamentary democracy, with the president as the head of state and the prime minister as head of parliament.
Zurabichvili received support from Georgian Dream when she became president in 2018, but she has since labeled their victory in a disputed election in late October as a “Russian special operation.” It has condemned the EU and supported nightly pro-EU protests outside parliament.
Additional reporting from Nino Shonia in Tbilisi.
