Zourabishvili says she will remain Georgian president before her successor's inauguration
Georgian President Salome Zourabishvili (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The current President of Georgia, Salome Zourabishvili, made a statement on the eve of the inauguration of Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was elected by the ruling Georgian Dream party. She said she would remain in the presidential palace, reports The Echo of Caucases.
In particular, Zourabishvili made the address from the official residence of the President of Georgia, the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi.
“I am here, and I will stay here, I will spend the night here as well. Tomorrow at 10:00 am I will be waiting for you at the Orbeliani Palace, and from here I will tell you what tomorrow will be like. I will tell you what the next days will be like and what the days of victory will be like,” she addressed her supporters.
Today Georgians took part in the Chain of Unity rally, the largest of which took place in the capital, where a symbolic chain united the right and left embankments of the city, as well as seven bridges.
This peaceful protest was a demonstration of the unity of civil society and the desire for European values a month after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the termination of negotiations on joining the European Union. Solidarity with the protesters was expressed by Georgians abroad, who organized rallies in 40 cities in Europe and the United States.
Who is the president of Georgia now
Two weeks ago, Georgia held its first presidential election not by national vote, but in parliament. As a result, former footballer and leader of the formally separated Power of the People party, Mikheil Kavelashvili, was declared president-elect.
The current president, Salome Zourabishvili, who has repeatedly said that she does not recognize the results of the parliamentary elections (the Georgian Dream party won amid massive fraud), reacted with the following words: “There is nothing. No one elected anyone. Nothing happened”.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze threatens her with jail if she does not obey and leave the residence after the end of her term. After the parliamentary elections, Zourabishvili became the face of Georgian protests and started supporting the opposition.
This week, Zourabishvili announced the creation of a council to prepare for new parliamentary elections. She also threatened the Georgian Dream that if new elections are not agreed upon, “the regime will fall.”
She stated that she was not afraid of prison and remained loyal to the country and the Constitution, to which she took an oath 6 years ago.
