New Georgian president sworn in as predecessor refuses to stand aside

Mikheil Kavelashvili sworn in as Georgia’s new president as pro-EU predecessor refuses to recognise his legitimacy.

Mikheil Kavelashvili has been sworn in as Georgian president in a ceremony in Parliament in the capital Tbilisi, amid weeks of protests and the refusal of his pro-Western predecessor to stand aside.

Outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili said on Sunday in a defiant speech to hundreds of supporters outside the presidential palace that she was leaving the residence but remained the legitimate officeholder.

“This parody, which is currently being played out in parliament, is a genuine parody that the country has not deserved,” Zourabichvili said.

She added that Kavelashvili was not duly picked, as the legislators who chose him were elected in an October parliamentary election that she says was marked by fraud.

The pro-European Union leader and protesters are demanding a new vote to replace the election in question.

The Georgian Dream governing party and the country’s election commission say the October election was free and fair.

Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former national footballer, took his oath on the Bible and the Georgian constitution, swearing to serve the country’s interests amid a political crisis.

According to local media reports, there were no significant protests outside the parliamentary buildings while Kavelashvili was being sworn in.

Founder of the Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili (R) congratulates new President Mikheil Kavelashvili [Irakli Gedenidze/Pool via Reuters]

Duly elected president

The governing party, which controls the parliament, also says Kavelashvili is the duly elected president.

The Georgian Dream party had threatened Zourabichvili with prison if she refused to leave the presidential residence in the centre of Tbilisi.

The government led by Georgian Dream froze EU application talks in a move that prompted great protests.

Georgian Dream’s opponents accuse it of steering Tbilisi towards Moscow rather than towards the Caucasus country’s longstanding goal of joining the EU.

People protest outside of the Georgian parliament as the parliament begins the procedure of the presidential elections, in Tbilisi, Georgia, on December 14 [Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP Photo]