PUBLISHED : 29 Dec 2024 at 16: 45
Former footballer Mikhail Kavelashvili was sworn in as Georgia’s new president behind closed doors.
TBILISI – Georgia inaugurated a ruling party loyalist as president in the midst of a political showdown on Sunday, moments after Tbilisi’s outgoing pro-EU leader declared herself the “only legitimate president”.
The inauguration of former footballer Mikhail Kavelashvili is set to further escalate a months-long political crisis that has seen huge pro-European Union demonstrations.
Outgoing head of state Salome Zurabishvili and protesters have declared Kavelashvili “illegitimate”, demanding a re-run of the October general elections that they say the ruling Georgian Dream party rigged.
Kavelashvili was sworn in at a closed-doors ceremony in parliament.
“Our history clearly shows that, after countless struggles to defend our homeland and traditions, peace has always been one of the main goals and values for the Georgian people,” Kavelashvili said during his address after taking the oath.
Georgian Dream has presented itself as the sole guarantor of peace in the country, accusing the West of trying to drag Tbilisi into the Ukraine conflict.
Kavelashvili, known for his far-right views and derogatory comments on LGBTQ people, went on to praise “our traditions, values, national identity, the sanctity of the f
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