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Kavelashvili Sworn In as Georgia's President Amid Protests, Outgoing Leader Rejects Legitimacy

Dec 29, 2024, 01:40 PM

Mikheil Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former footballer and hardline critic of the West, was sworn in as Georgia's president on Sunday amid a political crisis and major protests. Associated with the anti-Western People's Power party, his inauguration at the parliament building in Tbilisi took place under tight security and was boycotted by opposition groups. The government's decision to freeze European Union application talks has sparked widespread unrest, with protesters accusing the ruling Georgian Dream party of "stealing the October general elections" and moving closer to Russia. Outgoing pro-EU president Salome Zourabichvili, who was born in France, refused to recognize Kavelashvili's legitimacy, stating, "I am leaving and taking legitimacy with me," as she left the Orbeliani Palace. Thousands of demonstrators, some waving American flags and holding symbolic "red cards" as a nod to Kavelashvili's football past, gathered outside the parliament to protest his presidency. Police have reportedly begun detaining protesters amid the escalating tensions.