Georgia’s new President, Mikhail Saakashvili, was sworn in, accompanied by protests. The former football player, considered loyal to the government, took the oath of office in the parliament in Tbilisi on Sunday morning.
Saakashvili was elected as a candidate of the ruling party, Georgian Dream, at a boycotted election rally by the opposition in mid-December. Previously, the head of state in Georgia, which has mainly representative tasks, was always directly elected by the people.
The previous pro-Western head of state, Salome Zurabishvili, announced on Sunday that she would not leave the office of the head of state in the city center as previously announced. She, however, said she remained the “only legitimate president”.
On Sunday morning, thousands of protesters gathered in front of the presidential palace and apparently also in front of the parliament to protest against the government. The pro-European protesters showed red cards.
Protests in Georgia have been ongoing since the parliamentary election in late October, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud. The announced victory of the ruling party with an absolute majority was also questioned by numerous international observers. The recent announcement by the Georgian Dream party of the suspension of Georgia’s EU accession talks had finally further fueled the protests.