Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said she would remain in office until – as she said – the legal parliament elects a new president. The pro-Western leader and the opposition do not recognize the results of the October parliamentary elections.
“Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili announced that the illegal parliament will not be able to elect a new president, therefore the inauguration will not take place, her mandate will continue until the new president is elected by the new parliament,” the Echo Kavkaza website (a Radio Svoboda affiliate) reported.
Ruling village Georgia The Georgian Dream party, which according to official data won the parliamentary elections, announced on Wednesday that its candidate for president is politician and former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili.
Anti-government demonstrations
In December, the head of state will be elected for the first time by a special college in which the ruling party, accused of moving the country away from democratic standards, would have a majority.
Thousands of anti-government demonstrations have been taking place in Georgia for several days after the country's prime minister announced on Thursday that the government was suspending talks on the country's membership in the European Union until 2028.
Main photo source: DAVID MDZINARISHVILI/PAP