Georgia's presidential standoff amidst election turmoil
The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, announced that she will remain in her position until her successor is chosen by a "legal parliament." "The illegal parliament cannot elect a new president," she said.
"I remain your president; there is no legitimate parliament existing. Accordingly, the illegitimate parliament cannot elect the new president. Thus, inauguration will not take place. And my mandate continues until there is the legitimately elected president," said President Salome Zurabishvili in an address to the nation.
Due to changes in the law, the president was last elected by the public in direct elections in 2018. The new head of state is to be selected by a special college, consisting of deputies, regional government representatives, and judges from several of the most important courts.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, which reportedly won the parliamentary elections, announced on Wednesday that its candidate for the presidency is politician and former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili.
In October, parliamentary elections were held in Georgia, during which the ruling party Georgian Dream secured an overwhelming victory. The party has led the country for years, supported by Georgia's richest man, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Observers have pointed out a series of frauds and irregularities in the elections and in the period leading up to them.
On November 20, President Zurabishvili filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court, demanding the rejection of the Central Electoral Commission's report, which would mean recognizing the elections as falsified. The court has not yet addressed the complaint.
Meanwhile, during this time, parliament convened and recognized the mandates of all deputies, which was a violation of the constitution.
Currently in Georgia, especially in Tbilisi, there are large protests. The demonstrations are primarily related to the government's decision, which declared that Georgia will not engage in negotiations to join the EU nor will it take advantage of EU grants until the end of 2028. The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, stated that the government has thus declared war on its own people.
