Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was sworn in as Georgia’s new president, refuses to recognize his legitimacy.
Mikheil Kavelashvili was sworn in as Georgian president in a ceremony at parliament in Tbilisi, the capital, amid weeks of protests and the refusal of his pro-Western predecessor to step down.
Outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili said in a defiant speech to hundreds of supporters outside the presidential palace on Sunday that she was leaving the residence but remained the rightful holder of the post.
“This parody, which is currently playing out in Parliament, is a real parody that the country did not deserve,” Zourabichvili said.
She added that Kavelashvili was not duly chosen because the lawmakers who chose him were elected in October parliamentary elections that she said were marred by fraud.
The pro-European Union leader and protesters demand a new vote to replace the election in question.
The ruling Georgian Dream party and the country’s election commission say October’s elections were free and fair.
Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former national footballer, took an oath on the Bible and the Georgian constitution, vowing to serve the country’s interests amid a political crisis.
According to local media, there were no significant protests in front of the parliamentary buildings during Kavelashvili’s swearing-in.
Duly elected president
The ruling party, which controls Parliament, also claims that Kavelashvili is the duly elected president.
The Georgian Dream party had threatened Zurabishvili with prison if she refused to leave the presidential residence in central Tbilisi.
The government led by Georgian Dream froze negotiations on EU membership, sparking large protests.
Opponents of the Georgian Dream accuse it of orienting Tbilisi toward Moscow rather than the Caucasus country’s long-standing goal of joining the EU.
