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Former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili was officially inaugurated as Georgia’s president on Sunday, consolidating the ruling party’s grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s European Union aspirations and a victory for Russia’s former imperial ruler.
Outgoing pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said on Sunday morning that she would be leaving her Orbeliani Palace residence in Tbilisi, but insisted she was still the legitimate incumbent.
“I will come out of here, come out to you and be with you. … This presidential residence has been a symbol as long as there has been a legitimate president here. I bring legitimacy with me, Zourabichvili told supporters gathered in front of the palace.
She called Kavelashvili’s inauguration a “parody”.
Kavelashvili, 53, who was the only candidate on the ballot, easily won the election earlier in December given the Georgian Dream party’s control of the 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. It is made up of members of parliament, municipal councils and regional legislatures.
In his Sunday speech, Kavelashvili promised to be “everyone’s president, whether they like me or not.” He called on the nation to unite behind him around “common values, principles of mutual respect and the future we should build together.”
Georgian Dream retained control of the South Caucasian nation’s parliament in an Oct. 26 election that the opposition claims was rigged with Moscow’s help. The party has vowed to continue pushing towards joining the European Union, but also wants to “reset” ties with Russia.
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Georgia’s outgoing president and the main pro-Western parties boycotted post-election parliamentary sessions and demanded a repeat vote.
In 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow recognizing the two breakaway regions as independent and increasing Russia’s military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Critics have accused Georgian Dream – founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia – of becoming increasingly authoritarian and pro-Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied. The party recently pushed laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to suppress free speech and LGBTQ2 rights.
Georgian Dream’s decision last month to end negotiations on their country’s bid to join the EU further angered the opposition and fueled protests.
Protesters in front of the parliament building on Sunday held red cards, referring to Kavelashvili’s football career.
“Since our president is a football player today, we show him a red card. The next step will be to send him off the field. The Georgian people will certainly do it, because it was a circus they made in the parliament today, said protester Sofia Shamanidi The Associated Press.
The outgoing president is seeking new elections
Zourabichvili, 72, was born in France to parents of Georgian roots and had a successful career in the French foreign ministry before being appointed Georgia’s top diplomat in 2004 by President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Constitutional changes made the president’s job largely ceremonial before Zourabichvili was elected in elections backed by Georgian Dream in 2018. She became a vocal critic of the ruling party, accusing it of pro-Russian politics, and Georgian Dream tried unsuccessfully to impeach her.
Zourabichvili rejected the government’s claims that the opposition had incited the violence.
“We are not demanding a revolution,” she said The Associated Press. “We are looking for new elections, but under conditions that will ensure that the will of the people will no longer be forged or stolen.
Who is the new president?
Georgian opposition ridiculed Kavelashvili for his lack of higher education.
He was a striker in the English Premier League for Manchester City and played for several clubs in the Swiss Super League. He was elected to parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream ticket, and in 2022 he co-founded the political movement People’s Power, which was allied with Georgian Dream and became known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric.
Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law that requires organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power,” similar to a Russian law used to discredit critical organizations.
The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on the condition that the country meets the bloc’s recommendations, put its accession on hold and ended financial support in June after the approval of the “foreign influence” law.
How did the protests go?
Thousands of protesters gathered every evening in front of the parliament building after the government announced the suspension of EU accession negotiations on November 28.
Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat dozens of protesters, some of whom threw fireworks at police and built barricades on the capital’s central boulevard. Hundreds were detained and more than 100 were treated for injuries.
Police beat several journalists, and media workers accused the authorities of using thugs to dissuade people from attending anti-government rallies, which Georgian Dream denies. The crackdown drew sharp condemnation from the United States and EU officials.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
