TBILISI, Goergia (AP) 鈥 Former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili was formally inaugurated as president of Georgia on Sunday, cementing the ruling party's grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country鈥檚 EU aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia.
Outgoing pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said Sunday morning that she was vacating her residence at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi. She joined the crowd of her supporters that gathered outside the residence, but insisted that she was still the legitimate office holder.
鈥淚 will come out of here, come out to you and be with you. ... This presidential residence was a symbol as long as there was a president here who was legitimate. I bring legitimacy with me,鈥 Zourabichvili told a crowd of supporters outside the palace.
She called Kavelashvili's inauguration a 鈥減arody."
Kavelashvili, 53, who was the only candidate on the ballot, easily won the vote earlier in December given the Georgian Dream party鈥檚 control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. It is made up of members of Parliament, municipal councils and regional legislatures.
In his speech Sunday, Kavelashvili promised to be 鈥渆veryone鈥檚 president, regardless of whether they like me or not.鈥 He called for the nation to unite behind him around "shared values, the principles of mutual respect, and the future we should build together."
Georgian Dream retained control of Parliament in the South Caucasus nation . The party has vowed to continue pushing toward accession in the European Union but also wants to 鈥渞eset鈥 ties with Russia.
Georgia鈥檚 outgoing president and main pro-Western parties have boycotted the post-election parliamentary sessions and demanded a rerun of the ballot.
In 2008 Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow鈥檚 recognition of as independent, and an increase in the Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Critics have accused Georgian Dream 鈥 established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia 鈥 of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied. The party recently similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
Georgian Dream鈥檚 decision last month to suspend talks on their country鈥檚 bid to join the EU added to the opposition鈥檚 outrage and .
Protesters in front of the parliament building on Sunday held red cards, in reference to Kavelashvili鈥檚 career in soccer.
鈥淏ecause today our president is a footballer, we are showing him a red card. The next step will be sending him off the pitch. The Georgian people will definitely do this, because it was a circus that they have held today in the parliament,鈥 protester Sofia Shamanidi told The Associated Press.
The outgoing president demands new elections
Zourabichvili, 72, was born in France to parents with Georgian roots and had a successful career with the French Foreign Ministry before President named her Georgia鈥檚 top diplomat in 2004.
Constitutional changes made the president鈥檚 job largely ceremonial before Zourabichvili was elected by popular vote with Georgian Dream鈥檚 support in 2018. She became sharply critical of the ruling party, accusing it of pro-Russia policies, and Georgian Dream unsuccessfully tried to impeach her.
Zourabichvili has rejected government claims that the opposition was fomenting violence.
鈥淲e are not demanding a revolution,鈥 she told The Associated Press. 鈥淲e are asking for new elections, but in conditions that will ensure that the will of the people will not be misrepresented or stolen again.
Who is the new president?
Georgia's opposition has mocked Kavelashvili for lacking higher education.
He was a striker in the English Premier League for Manchester City and played for several clubs in the Swiss Super League. He was elected to Parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream ticket, and in 2022 co-founded the People鈥檚 Power political movement, which was allied with Georgian Dream and become known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric.
Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as 鈥減ursuing the interest of a foreign power,鈥 similar to a Russian law used to discredit critical organizations.
The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that the country meets the bloc鈥檚 recommendations, put its accession on hold and cut financial support in June following approval of the .
How did protests unfold?
Thousands of demonstrators converged on the parliament building every night after the government announced the suspension of EU accession talks on Nov. 28.
Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat scores of protesters, some of whom threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the capital鈥檚 central boulevard. Hundreds were detained and over 100 treated for injuries.
Several journalists were beaten by police and media workers accused authorities of using thugs to deter people from attending anti-government rallies, which Georgian Dream denies. The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from the United States and EU officials.
