Former Manchester Metropolis footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili has been sworn in because the president of Georgia.
The outgoing pro-Western president Salome Zourabichvili has insisted she remains to be the legit officer holder and doesn’t recognise her opponent’s appointment.
Nevertheless, she mentioned on Sunday morning that she’s going to vacate her residence on the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi.
It comes within the wake of contested common election outcomes, which had been mired in allegations of corruption and fraud.
“I will come out of here, come out to you and be with you,” Ms Zourabichvili informed a crowd of supporters exterior the palace.
“This presidential residence was a symbol as long as there was a president here who was legitimate. I bring legitimacy with me.”
The presidency is a largely ceremonial place.
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Outgoing President of Georgia, Salomé Zourabichvili
Ms Zourabichvili additionally referred to as Mr Kavelashvili’s inauguration a “parody”, as protesters gathered in entrance of the parliament constructing holding purple playing cards.
Mr Kavelashvili, who was a striker for Manchester Metropolis between 1996 and 1997, is backed by Georgia’s ruling Dream Occasion.
He simply gained the presidential vote in December, as Georgian Dream controls a 300-seat electoral school that changed direct presidential elections in 2017.
Georgian Dream retained management of the nation’s parliament in an election in October that the opposition alleges was rigged with Moscow’s assist.
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Protesters mock new Georgian president
The principle pro-Western events have boycotted the post-election parliamentary classes and demanded a re-run of the poll.
In his speech on Sunday, 53-year-old Mr Kavelashvili promised to be “everyone’s president, regardless of whether they like me or not”.
He referred to as for the nation to unite behind him round “shared values, the principles of mutual respect, and the future we should build together”.
Mr Kavelashvili has robust anti-Western, usually conspiratorial views.
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Protests in Tbilisi, Georgia on 14 December. Pic: AP
He was one of many authors of a controversial legislation requiring organisations that obtain greater than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as “pursuing the interest of a foreign power” – just like a Russian legislation used to discredit organisations important of the federal government.
Critics have accused Georgian Dream – established by shadowy billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia – of changing into more and more authoritarian and tilted towards Moscow, accusations it has denied.
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The celebration lately pushed by legal guidelines just like these utilized by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
Its choice final month to droop talks on their nation’s bid to hitch the EU added to the opposition’s outrage and galvanized protests
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Georgia’s govt is ‘not legit’
Georgian Dream has vowed to proceed pushing in the direction of accession to the European Union but in addition needs to “reset” ties with Russia.
Ms Zourabichvil was elected by widespread vote with Georgian Dream’s help in 2018 however turned sharply important of the ruling celebration, accusing it of pro-Russia insurance policies.
She has led opposition to a set of repressive legal guidelines launched by the federal government and managed to unite a fractious opposition in its makes an attempt to unseat the federal government in October’s election.
