Tbilisi [Georgia], December 29 : Former Georgian footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili was sworn in as the president of Georgia in a ceremony held at the Parliament in Tbilisi, following weeks of protests and the refusal of his pro-Western predecessor to step down, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.
Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former national football player who also had played in the English Premier League, took his oath on the Bible and the Georgian constitution, pledging to serve the nation's interests amid the ongoing political crisis.
According to Al Jazeera, citing local media, no major protests took place outside the parliament during Kavelashvili's swearing-in ceremony, and the ruling party, the Georgian Dream party, which controls the parliament, also asserts that Kavelashvili is the legitimately elected president.
Meanwhile, outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili, in a defiant speech to her supporters outside the presidential palace, said she was leaving the residence but still considered herself the legitimate president.
"This parody, which is currently being played out in parliament, is a genuine parody that the country has not deserved," Zourabichvili said as quoted by Al Jazeera.
She further argued that Kavelashvili was not properly elected, as the lawmakers who chose him were part of an October parliamentary election that she claims was tainted by fraud.
Notably, pro-European Union supporters and protesters are calling for a new vote to replace the disputed election. However, the ruling party and the country's election commission maintain that the October election was free and fair.
Earlier, the Georgian Dream party had warned Zourabichvili with imprisonment if she refused to vacate the presidential residence in central Tbilisi, Al Jazeera reported.
Additionally, the government, led by Georgian Dream, froze negotiations over EU membership, sparking widespread protests.
Opposition to the Georgian Dream party accuses it of steering the country towards Moscow rather than advancing Georgia's long-standing aspiration to join the European Union.
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