Zurabishvili speaks out following election of Georgia’s new president
Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili (Photo: Getty Images)
Salome Zourabichvili, the current president of Georgia, appeared at a protest in Tbilisi and made her first statement following the announcement of former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili as the new president of Georgia, according to Echo of the Caucasus.
Zourabichvili addressed participants of a march organized by mothers whose relatives were detained by Georgian security forces. She expressed gratitude to the protesters who do not recognize the legitimacy of the presidential elections held in Parliament.
"Nothing happened. Nobody elected anyone. Nothing took place," the president declared.
Earlier, Salome Zourabichvili stated she does not recognize the election results and has no intention of leaving her office.
New president of Georgia
On Saturday, December 14, Georgia held so-called presidential elections. For the first time, the president was not elected by citizens but by an electoral college, where the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party holds the majority.
Former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili was elected president with a majority of votes. He was the sole candidate nominated by Georgian Dream.
Kavelashvili is a leader of the separatist group People's Power. However, during the last elections, he entered Parliament under number 18 on the Georgian Dream party list.
Kavelashvili is a veteran of Georgian football. He played for the national team of Georgia and several clubs, including teams in his home country, the UK, Switzerland, and Russia.
Amid the so-called presidential elections, protests continue in Georgia, with participants rejecting the legitimacy of the process.
