Georgian anti-Western politician Mikheil Kavelashvili, an ally of the ruling Georgian Dream party, was inaugurated as the country's sixth president on Dec. 29 in a move seen as illegitimate by the opposition.
Georgia's fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, said she would vacate the presidential palace but stressed she remains the only legitimate head of state, pledging to continue the struggle against the ruling party.
Zourabichvili called Kavelashvili's election a "mockery of democracy" as the former football player was elected as the only candidate on the ballot by the new parliament seen as illegitimate by its opponents.
The inauguration ceremony in the parliament building was attended by oligarch and Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili but not by foreign diplomats, who were not invited due to alleged "lack of space."
Pro-EU Zourabichvili called upon the government's opponents to gather at the presidential palace to join yet another rally against the Russian-friendly Georgian Dream party. Opposition parties said they would continue to recognize Zourabichvili as the legitimate president.
The most recent waves of protests have been ongoing in the South Caucasus country since Georgian Dream claimed victory in the October parliamentary elections disputed by the opposition and international observers.
Elsa Court
The government stepped in with riot police and tear gas against the protesters and said that the country's EU accession process would be suspended at least until 2028 amid Western criticism.
Speaking to citizens gathering at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, Zourabichvili called the ruling party "locked up, scared, corrupt, illegitimate, unrecognized, subject to sanctions" in an apparent reference to recent U.S. sanctions on Ivanishvili.
Zourabichvili said that her loyalty to the Georgian people does not change based on whether she is inside or outside the presidential palace, adding: "I will leave here with you and will be with you. I take with me legitimacy, the flag, your trust."
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze threatened Zourabichvili ahead of the inauguration by forcibly removing her and placing her in a "correctional facility" if she refused to leave the presidential seat voluntarily.
Georgian Dream, in power since 2012, has been accused of undermining the country's democracy and dragging it into the Kremlin's orbit while derailing EU accession efforts.
The ruling-party-backed foreign agents law, compared to similar repressive legislation in Russia, was adopted in May amid widespread criticism from international partners and mass protests at home.
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