Georgia’s Outgoing President Brands Successor Illegitimate, Demands New Elections

Pro EU Salome Zourabichvili said that she is ‘not demanding a revolution’ but claims elections were stolen.

Mikheil Kavelashvili reacts after being elected as Georgia's new president at the parliament in Tbilisi on Dec. 14, 2024. Vano Shlamov/AFP via Getty Images

While Mikheil Kavelashvili has been sworn in as president of Georgia, outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili has branded her successor illegitimate and is demanding new elections.

After being sworn in on Dec. 30, Kavelashvili, a former Manchester City footballer, said, “The Georgian people have always understood that peace is the main prerequisite for survival and development.”