In Georgia, there have been protests for weeks against elections that were considered fraudulent, as well as for the country’s EU membership.
The inauguration of the new president will take place in Georgia today.
The inauguration may cause protests, as the country’s opposition and the sitting pro-EU president Salome Zurabishvili have opposed the new president.
In addition, Zurabišvili has announced that he will not resign from his post because he considers the election of a new president to be illegal.
The candidate of the pro-Russian ruling party Georgian Dream, a former professional soccer player, was elected president of Georgia in mid-December Mikheil Kavelashvili. The opposition boycotted the electoral conference where the election was made.
The Georgian dream also won the parliamentary elections in October, but the opposition and the sitting president have described the elections as fraudulent and accused Russia of influencing the election results.
Thousands demonstrated in favor of EU membership
After the elections, Georgia’s new prime minister announced that he would freeze the country’s EU membership negotiations until at least 2028. This has caused widespread demonstrations in the country that have continued since November, which Zurabišvili has also visibly supported.
Last Saturday, thousands of protesters formed human chains across Georgia to demonstrate for EU membership. Demonstrators waved both Georgian and EU flags and demanded new parliamentary elections.
Far-right ex-footballer
Kavelashvili, who is now rising to the post of president, played for Manchester City in the 1990s before moving into politics. The far-right politician is known for his profanity-laced parliamentary speeches and leaks in which he berates government opponents and sexual minorities.
Opponents have described Kavelashvili as a billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili as a doll. Ivanishvili is the founder of Georgian Dream, who still holds a lot of power in Georgia.