Dispute over the presidency: Georgia’s new president inaugurated despite protests

In the South Caucasus republic of Georgia, new President Mikhail Kavelashvili took office at a ceremonial ceremony in parliament, despite weeks of protests. The 53-year-old took the oath on the Bible and the constitution in the capital Tbilisi. He swore in the presence of representatives of the Orthodox Church to serve the interests of Georgia.

After the inauguration, people with red cards in their hands gathered in front of Parliament to demonstrate against the former footballer. They accused the Georgian leadership of becoming henchmen of neighboring Russia. According to police, six protesters were arrested. At times there were scuffles at Parliament.

Zurabishvili wants to continue fighting against leadership

Meanwhile, the previous pro-Western head of state Salome Zurabishvili told supporters that she was leaving the presidential seat but taking her legitimacy with her. It does not recognize Kavelashvili’s election on December 14th and is calling for new elections with the support of mass protests. Heads of state in the country on the Black Sea tend to perform representative tasks.

“This parody that is now running in parliament is a real parody that the country does not deserve,” Zurabishvili said of the inauguration. Many supporters had expected the politician to stay in the palace and continue fighting.

She now wants to continue the fight on the streets. It was initially unclear what further steps she would take. Zurabishvili had also received an invitation to the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on January 20 in Washington.

Thousands in front of the presidential residence

The ruling Georgian Dream party, which had formed Kavelashvili, had threatened Zurabishvili with prison if she did not leave the head of state’s official residence in the center of the capital. Thousands of supporters gathered in front of the residence in the morning to support Zurabishvili.

For weeks, thousands of people have been demonstrating every day for a return to the country’s EU course and for a repeat of the October parliamentary election, in which the national-conservative ruling party Georgian Dream was declared the winner. The party founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili had put the country’s EU accession negotiations on hold until 2028, triggering the protests.

The former center forward Kavelashvili has been a member of the Georgian parliament since 2016. Before that, the footballer played for various clubs at home and abroad. He is considered a confidant of Ivanishvili, who is known as the richest man in Georgia. The USA also imposed sanctions on Ivanishvili last week.

Germany wants to take action against anti-European government

Because of the Georgian government’s anti-European course and the violence against pro-European demonstrators, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock suggested talks about a formal suspension of the EU accession process a few days ago. “Due to the increasingly authoritarian politics of the “Georgian Dream”, we in the EU should now also discuss a formal suspension of the Georgian accession process,” said the Foreign Office.

Baerbock said that the granting of EU candidate status in December 2023 was linked to “clear promises of reform”. “But instead of progress, we see alarming regression.”

As a consequence, the Foreign Office has reduced cooperation with the authorities in the country and suspended support projects worth more than 200 million euros. At the same time, Germany is discussing further measures with its EU partners. According to Baerbock, these range “from the withdrawal of visa exemptions for Georgian officials to targeted sanctions.”

Many young Georgians in particular fear that they will no longer be able to travel freely to the EU due to a possible reintroduction of visa requirements. Many young people use the visa-free regime to study or do seasonal work in the EU.