Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former pro-footballer, took the oath during a critical political moment for the country, following the government’s suspension of its European Union membership application.
Georgian Dream’s victory in October’s parliamentary elections was tainted by allegations of fraud, sparking widespread protests.
Outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili defiantly refused to step down on Sunday, declaring herself the “only legitimate president.”
Speaking to the crowds gathered outside, Salome Zourabichvili vowed to leave the presidential palace but labeled her successor as illegitimate.
“This building only symbolized legitimacy while a legitimate president occupied it,” she declared.
Just a short walk away, Mikheil Kavelashvili was sworn in at a private ceremony in parliament, surrounded by his family and attended by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
After taking the oath, Kavelashvili praised Georgian “traditions, values, national identity, the sanctity of family, and faith.”
“Our history is clear,” he said. “After countless struggles to protect our homeland and traditions, peace has always been one of the Georgian people’s core goals and values.”
Georgia’s four major opposition groups have rejected Mikheil Kavelashvili and are boycotting parliament.
A former MP with the Georgian Dream party, Kavelashvili was the sole candidate for the presidency. Outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili has condemned his election, calling it a “travesty.”
In recent years, Georgian Dream has grown increasingly authoritarian, passing laws reminiscent of those in Russia that target media outlets, NGOs receiving foreign funding, and the LGBT community.
The party also refused to join Western sanctions against Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, even labeling the West as the “global war party,” which undermines its stated goal of joining the EU and NATO.
While a vast majority of Georgians support EU membership, enshrined in the country’s constitution, the ruling party announced in November that it would delay EU accession talks until 2028.
This decision triggered days of protests, with riot police using tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators who fought back with fireworks and stones.
On Saturday, ahead of the inauguration, protesters—waving Georgian and EU flags—formed a human chain stretching for kilometers.
“I’m out here with my whole family, trying to free this small country from the claws of the Russian empire,” one protester told the Associated Press.
This week, the US imposed sanctions on Georgia’s former prime minister and billionaire founder of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Georgia operates as a parliamentary democracy, with the president serving as the head of state and the prime minister as the head of parliament.
Although Zourabichvili was endorsed by Georgian Dream when she became president in 2018, she has since criticized their controversial election win in October, calling it a “Russian special operation,” and has supported the nightly pro-EU protests outside parliament.
Georgia’s Pro-Western President Defies Exit and Prepares for Showdown!
Salome Zourabichvili’s family fled Georgia in 1921 after Soviet forces crushed the country’s brief independence from Russia. Now, a century later, the pro-Western president is refusing to step down, claiming she is the last legitimate institution in her country.
Her six-year presidential term is set to end on Sunday, when Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former Manchester City footballer backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, will take over under a new system for selecting the head of state.
Zourabichvili, 72, has denounced Kavelashvili’s election as a “travesty,” pointing to the electoral college system in which he was the only candidate.
Though initially endorsed by Georgian Dream when she took office in 2018, Zourabichvili has since condemned their controversial victory in the October elections as a “Russian special operation” and has supported nightly pro-EU protests outside parliament.
The government warns that if she refuses to step down, she will be committing a crime. However, Zourabichvili argues that if she is forced out, it will mark the complete takeover of the state by the ruling party, surrendering Georgia’s sovereignty to a group she accuses of serving Moscow.
‘Let’s see where she ends up’
Salome Zourabichvili now faces one of her toughest challenges as Georgian Dream moves to install Mikheil Kavelashvili as president.
Despite this, Zourabichvili has vowed not to step down, setting the stage for a potential constitutional crisis. Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has threatened her with arrest, saying, “Let’s see where she ends up—behind bars or outside.”
The government is likely to force her out, according to Petre Tsiskarishvili of the opposition United National Movement. However, to avoid turning her into a political martyr and increasing her profile, the government may opt for a quieter approach, possibly locking her out of her official residence, Orbeliani Palace, instead of making a high-profile arrest.
There are ongoing doubts about her legacy. Some opposition members criticize Zourabichvili for being too accommodating to Georgian Dream’s increasingly authoritarian shift, only speaking out against Ivanishvili in recent months.
Yet, in a country where pro-European forces have struggled to unite, Zourabichvili’s supporters argue that she will emerge as a key opponent to the government.
“Even if she is arrested, she will still be seen as the legitimate president of Georgia,” said Mr. Crevaux-Asatiani, the president’s former aide. “There is no question about it.”