The head of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, whose powers expire on December 29, called the presidential elections scheduled for Saturday a “parody” and illegitimate.
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On Saturday, in the Georgian parliament building, a panel of 300 parliamentarians and deputies of various levels will elect a new president. The only contender for this post is former football player, now MP Mikheil Kavelashvili, nominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party. On Tuesday, the Georgian State Security Service said that the organizers of the protests, coordinated by the intelligence services of foreign countries, are planning to disrupt the presidential elections.
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“I don’t even know what to call it, a provocation or a parody. It’s probably still a parody, this whole illegitimate process,” Zurabishvili said at a briefing on Friday. According to her, the upcoming presidential elections are “offensive” to the Georgian people. She also stated that she does not intend to resign from the post of president upon expiration of her term of office and will be “with the people until the end.”
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Georgia looks set to face another scandal, as Zurabishvili has announced that she will not resign as president. She believes that “with an illegitimate parliament there cannot be legitimate presidential elections.” Zurabishvili declared herself the only legitimate representative of power in the country. To this, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that he understands “Zurabishvili’s emotional state,” but “on the day of the inauguration, December 29, she will have to leave her residence and give up this building to the legitimately elected president.”
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On October 26, parliamentary elections were held in Georgia, in which the ruling Georgian Dream party, which advocates maintaining relations with Russia and against anti-Russian sanctions, won with a result of 53.93% of the votes. In addition, four opposition parties entered parliament, receiving a total of 37.78%. Opposition representatives said they would not recognize the voting results. Zurabishvili, who helps the pro-European opposition despite a constitutional ban on political activity, called for protests. Another series of opposition protests began in Georgia on November 28, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the decision to suspend consideration of the start of negotiations on the country’s membership in the European Union until 2028. Protesters use firecrackers, stones, bottles, and it was reported that Molotov cocktail bottles were found at the site of the pogroms. Security forces respond by using special equipment, including water cannons.
