Reuters reported on December 29 that outgoing Georgian President Zourabichvili gave a speech outside the presidential palace, saying he would leave the residence but asserting that Mr. Kavelashvili was not the legitimate successor.
“I will leave here taking with me your legitimacy, your flag and your beliefs,” Ms Zourabichvili told a crowd of supporters outside the presidential palace.
Ms Zourabichvili has accused the October parliamentary elections that elected Mr Kavelashvili as president of being rigged. She insists she remains Georgia’s “only legitimate president”.
Outgoing Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili speaks outside the presidential palace on December 29.
Mr Kavelashvili was sworn in at a ceremony held behind closed doors in parliament. “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 of the Georgian people,” AFP quoted Mr Kavelashvili as saying after the swearing-in ceremony. This is also the first time that a Georgian president has been sworn in behind closed doors in the parliament chamber.
Opposition parties in Georgia have also taken a stance against Mr Kavelashvili. Meanwhile, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the Georgian election commission have insisted that the October election was free and fair. The ruling party says Mr Kavelashvili was a legitimately elected president.
In Georgia, the president is the head of state, while the prime minister is responsible for leading the government. The BBC reported on December 29 that the Georgian government had warned Ms. Zourabichvili that she could be committing a crime if she refused to leave office.
Mr. Kavelashvili (right) was sworn in as President of Georgia at the parliament headquarters on December 29.
Mikhail Kavelashvili is a far-right politician who is said to favor closer ties with Russia, while Zourabichvili and several opposition parties favor closer ties with Europe and the West. The ruling GD has suspended talks on Georgia's plans to join the European Union, a move that has sparked protests in Georgia in recent months. Kavelashvili has repeatedly accused Western intelligence agencies of plotting to escalate tensions with neighboring Russia.
On December 29, thousands of people in Georgia protested at the Georgian parliament building. The protesters held up “red cards” as a protest against Mr. Kavelashvili, who was once a football player for Manchester City.
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