Mikheil Kavelashvili has been sworn in as Georgia’s new president, after his pro-EU predecessor refused to recognize his legitimacy.
Mikheil Kavelashvili was sworn in as President of Georgia in a ceremony held in Parliament in the capital, Tbilisi, amid weeks of protests and the refusal of his pro-Western predecessor to step down.
Outgoing President Salome Zurabishvili said Sunday in a defiant speech to hundreds of supporters outside the presidential palace that she would leave her residence but remain the rightful office holder.
“This parody, which is currently being shown in Parliament, is a real parody that the country did not deserve,” Zurabishvili said.
She added that Kavelashvili was not properly selected, as the lawmakers who chose him were elected in parliamentary elections held in October, which she says were characterized by fraud.
The pro-EU leader and protesters are demanding a new vote to replace the election in question.
The ruling Georgian Dream party and the country’s election commission say the October elections were free and fair.
Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former national footballer, took the oath on the Bible and the Georgian constitution, swearing to serve the country’s interests amid a political crisis.
According to local media reports, there were no major protests outside the parliamentary buildings during Kavelashvili’s swearing-in.
A duly elected president
The ruling party, which controls parliament, says Kavelashvili is the duly elected president.
The Georgian Dream Party had threatened Zurabishvili with imprisonment if she refused to leave the presidential headquarters in central Tbilisi.
The government led by Georgian Dream froze talks on applying to join the European Union, a move that sparked major protests.
Opponents of the Georgian Dream accuse the Georgian Dream of steering Tbilisi towards Moscow instead of achieving the Caucasian state’s long-standing goal of joining the European Union.
