The new president of Georgia is sworn in in the midst of a political crisis and without the recognition of the opposition

Two months of crisis

This Caucasus country has been in crisis since the legislative elections of October 26, won by the Georgian Dream party but denounced as fraudulent by the pro-Western opposition, which demands new elections.

Supporters of the rapid accession of this former Soviet republic to the European Union have organized duringe two months daily demonstrations to protest against the Executive, after it decided to postpone European integration efforts until 2028.

Kavelashvili was appointed president on December 14 by an electoral college controlled by Georgian Dream. “Our history clearly shows that, after countless struggles to defend our homeland and our traditions, peace has always been one of the main goals of the Georgian people,” Kavelashvili declared in a speech. Their political side presents itself as a bulwark against the West, which they accuse of wanting to drag Tbilisi into the war between Ukraine and Russia.

The newly inaugurated president has also called for respect for “our traditions, our values, our national identity, the sacredness of family and faith.”

Minutes before, the outgoing president, Salomé Zurabishvili, who had assured that she would not leave the presidential palace despite the electoral result, has finally left the residence, although she has stressed that she continues to be the “legitimate president” of the country and that she would continue fighting.

“I will leave the presidential palace to be at your side, carrying with me legitimacy, the flag and your trust,” he said before a crowd of protesters. At least 2,000 people gathered this Sunday morning in front of the palace before that speech, shouting “Georgia!” and “Salome!”

Although her prerogatives were limited, the outgoing president has provided important support to the protesters and has used her influence, especially at the international level, to redouble the pressure on Georgian Dream and try to achieve new legislative elections, something to which the government He flatly refuses.

The former president, with the protesters

Zurabishvili, a former French diplomat, joined pro-EU protesters on Saturday in a human chain that gathered several thousand people on the banks of the river that crosses Tbilisi.

For its part, Georgian Dream denies any electoral fraud and accuses the opposition of trying to provoke a revolution, supposedly financed from abroad.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze had warned that if Zurabishvili refused to leave the presidential palace, this “would constitute a criminal offense punishable by many years in prison.” Zurabishvili has joined the group of protesters who have gathered in front of the Orbeliani Palace, in the center of the country’s capital, Tbilisi, to protest against the ceremony.

This same Saturday the opposition parties Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia, National Unity-Movement and Gajaria for Georgia have published a joint statement in which they urge the international community not to recognize the results of October 26 and reject the legitimacy of Kavelashvili, whom they denounce as part of a “conspiracy” ultimately orchestrated by Moscow, accusations rejected by the Georgian Government.