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Mikheil Kavelashvili, an ally of Georgia's ruling authoritarian party, has been sworn in as president of the Caucasian state, sparking more protests in the capital, Tbilisi.
Kavelashvili's inauguration marks the latest step in what critics have described as a state takeover by pro-Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose Georgian Dream party has brought all of the country's institutions under his control since coming to power in 2012. The only candidate for the role was elected this month. By a body of 300 members, most of whom were GD members or sympathizers.
The demonstrators took to the streets carrying red cards, a symbol of their opposition to the former football player. Manchester City striker Many Swiss clubs have turned into extreme nationalism.
The demonstrators, who have held daily marches over the past month as the country's political crisis escalates, welcomed the US State Department's move to impose sanctions on Ivanishvili. He was moved by the measures announced on Friday, “to undermine Georgia's democratic and Euro-Atlantic future to the benefit of the Russian Federation.”
Leaving the Orbeliani Palace, the presidential residence, on Sunday Salome ZurabishviliThe country's outgoing president and de facto opposition leader stressed that she still holds this role in the country.
In a speech to the Georgians gathered in front of the palace, she denounced Kavelashvili's inauguration as a “parody” and affirmed her loyalty “to the country and the people…”. . . “I will leave here with you and stay with you.”
Zurabishvili was unsure whether to hole up in the palace or leave, several people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times. She had also said She will not step down Until new elections are held, under the pretext that the college, which is dominated by members of the ruling party, does not have the legitimacy to elect Kavelashvili as president.
It also called for new elections. The European Parliament said the October vote was “neither free nor fair.”
Georgia It witnessed a year of political turmoil. On December 14 last year, people took to the streets of Tbilisi and other cities to celebrate the country gaining candidate status for European Union membership, a long-held dream of many in the small Caucasian country of 3.8 million people.
But the authoritarian decline accelerated in May when parliament adopted the Foreign Agents Law, dubbed the “Russian law” for its similarity to Moscow’s methods of suppressing dissent, despite months of protests.
NGOs have warned that it is a tool for the disintegration of civil society, reflecting the Russian practice of using “foreign agent” status as a premise for prosecution. Unlike in Russia, organizations in Georgia must register themselves, but most NGOs refused to do so in protest.
The next point of tension was the parliamentary elections in October, when Georgian Dream received 54 percent of the vote. Widespread violations occurred on Election Day, including ballot stuffing, stolen IDs, and “ring voting,” where the same people voted at multiple polling places, according to many observers. Opposition parties rejected the results, boycotted Parliament and demanded new elections.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Democratic Party-backed prime minister, announced in late November that Georgia would suspend EU accession talks, pledging to reconsider the issue in 2028 so the country could join “with dignity.”
The protests increased in intensity and were met with an unprecedented crackdown by the police, as dozens were transferred to hospitals and hundreds were arrested.
“Cracks appeared in the system when people turned to the Georgian dream, and saw their neighbors and families being beaten – and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Tamar Chergolishvili, an opposition politician and former media director.
Elaine Khushtariya, leader of Drua! (It's time!), which is part of the liberal coalition that came in second place in the parliamentary elections according to official results, described the opposition as a “national resistance movement.”
“It's not about which party you prefer,” she added. “It's about whether you and your children can continue to live in this country in a fairly peaceful way.”
For some opposition politicians, the country's slide into authoritarianism was not surprising.
“For more than a decade I have been saying that Ivanishvili’s path is heading towards (former pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor) Yanukovych,” said Giga Bukeria, a former national security adviser. “I might be surprised by the speed and certain shapes of the corner, but not the corner itself.”
Korneli Kakachia, director of the Georgian Institute of Politics in Tbilisi, said the ruling party was gambling with increased repression of civil society.
He added: “The more they oppress people, the more they will come out.” “Georgians will not tolerate this. Many people are tired of Ivanishvili.”
