Georgia crisis: Zurabishvili leaves palace, Kavelashvili takes oath
Photo: Salome Zurabishvili (Getty Images)
Opposition President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili voluntarily left the presidential palace. Meanwhile, Mikheil Kavelashvili took the oath in parliament, according to the Echo of the Caucasus.
Zurabishvili addressed the protesters gathered outside the Orbeliani Presidential Palace.
"I want to address you and give you a report – six years ago, I took an oath on the Constitution, but even more so in loyalty to the country and loyalty to you. That is why I am here today, and this loyalty will not change, whether I am in the palace or outside of it. I will stand with you and be with you. I take with me legitimacy, the flag, and your trust," she said.
According to her, the inauguration of the new president, Mikheil Kavelashvili, is a "parody."
Meanwhile, in the Parliament of Georgia, the inauguration of the president elected by the electoral college, Mikheil Kavelashvili, took place. He took the corresponding oath. Representatives from European countries and the United States were not invited to the inauguration.
According to the Constitution of Georgia, Zurabishvili’s duties were supposed to end after the oath of the new president. However, both Zurabishvili and opposition politicians do not recognize Kavelashvili as the sixth president of Georgia.
The Georgian opposition has expressed its readiness to physically protect Zurabishvili at her residence in Atoneli, while the ruling party, Georgian Dream, has threatened Zurabishvili with prison if she refuses to leave office or attempts to dissolve parliament.
Situation in Georgia
It is important to note that parliamentary elections were held in Georgia at the end of October. According to the Central Election Commission of Georgia, the pro-Russian party Georgian Dream, which has been in power for over 10 years, won the elections.
The opposition refused to recognize the election results. The current government of Georgia announced the suspension of the country's EU integration, which sparked a new wave of protests.
On December 14, the electoral college elected former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili, who holds anti-Western views, as the president of Georgia. This marked the first time a president was elected not by citizens but by an electoral college, where the Georgian Dream party held the majority. Kavelashvili was the only candidate from the ruling party.
Earlier, Zurabishvili stated that she would refuse to resign until new parliamentary elections were held in Georgia.
