Former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili was officially sworn in as president of Georgia on Sunday, strengthening the ruling party’s grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s European Union aspirations and a victory for former Russian imperial ruler.
Outgoing pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said on Sunday morning that she would leave her residence at Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, but insisted that she was still the rightful holder of the office.
“I will get out of here, I will come 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.
She called Kavelashvili’s inauguration a “parody.”
Kavelashvili, 53, who was the only candidate on the ballot, easily won the vote earlier in December given that the Georgian Dream party controls a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. He is made up of deputies, municipal councils and regional legislative assemblies.
In his speech on Sunday, Kavelashvili promised to be “the president of everyone, 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 should build together”.
Georgian Dream retained control of the South Caucasus country’s parliament in an Oct. 26 election that the opposition says was rigged with help from Moscow. The party has pledged to continue promoting membership of the European Union, but also wants to “reset” ties with Russia.
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Georgia’s outgoing president and major pro-Western parties boycotted post-election parliamentary sessions and demanded a new vote.
In 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow’s recognition of the independence of two breakaway regions and an increase in Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Critics have accused Georgian Dream – founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a mysterious billionaire who made his fortune in Russia – of becoming increasingly authoritarian and Moscow-leaning, charges the ruling party has denied. The party recently passed laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to suppress free speech and LGBTQ2 rights.
Last month’s decision by Georgian Dream to suspend negotiations on their country’s bid for EU membership added to opposition outrage and galvanized protests.
Protesters outside Parliament brandished red cards on Sunday, in reference to Kavelashvili’s football career.
“Because today our president is a footballer, we are showing him a red card. The next step will be to expel him from the field. The Georgian people will certainly do it, because it is a real circus that they have organized today in Parliament,” said protester Sofia Shamanidi. The Associated Press.
The outgoing president calls for new elections
Zourabichvili, 72, was born in France to parents of Georgian origin and had a successful career in the French Foreign Ministry before President Mikheil Saakashvili named 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 sharply critical of the ruling party, accusing it of pro-policies. -Russians, and Georgian Dream tried in vain to dismiss her.
Zourabichvili rejected government claims that the opposition was fomenting violence.
“We are not demanding a revolution,” she said The Associated Press. “We demand new elections, but under conditions that will ensure that the will of the people is no longer distorted or stolen.
Who is the new president?
The Georgian opposition mocked Kavelashvili for his lack of 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 list and in 2022 co-founded the political movement People Power, allied with the Georgian Dream and become 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 critical organizations.
The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that the country complies with the bloc’s recommendations, suspended its membership and reduced its financial support in June after the approval of the law on ” foreign influence.
How did the demonstrations take place?
Thousands of protesters converged on the Parliament building every evening after the government announced the suspension of EU accession negotiations on November 28.
Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat dozens of protesters, some of whom threw fireworks at officers and built barricades on the capital’s central boulevard. Hundreds of people were arrested and more than 100 treated for their injuries.
Several journalists have been beaten by police and media workers have accused authorities of using thugs to dissuade people from participating in anti-government rallies, something Georgian Dream denies. The crackdown drew strong condemnation from U.S. and European officials.
© 2024 The Canadian Press