Georgia's outgoing president refuses to quit as successor sworn in - BBC

Thousands of Georgians protested in the capital Tbilisi as a new president allied with the ruling Georgian Dream party was inaugurated. Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former pro-footballer, has been sworn in during a critical political period for the country after the government suspended its application to join the European Union.

Georgian Dream won parliamentary elections in October, but the victory was mired in allegations of fraud which have since sparked several street protests. Outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili refused to step down on Sunday, saying she was the "only legitimate president".

Addressing crowds gathered outside, Zourabichvili said she would leave the presidential palace but branded her successor illegitimate. "This building was a symbol only as long as a legitimate president was sitting here," she said. A few minutes' walk away, Kavelashvili was sworn in at a closed-doors ceremony in parliament, where he was accompanied by his family. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also attended the inauguration.

Speaking after taking the oath, Kavelashvili went on to praise Georgian "traditions, values, national identity, the sanctity of the family, and faith". "Our history clearly shows that, after countless struggles to defend our homeland and traditions, peace has always been one of the main goals and values for the Georgian people," he said.

Georgia's four main opposition groups have rejected Kavelashvili and boycotted parliament. Kavelashvili is a former MP with the Georgian Dream party and was the only candidate for the job. Zourabichvili has previously denounced his election as a travesty.

Salome Zourabichvili is a French-born Georgian politician, former diplomat and the fifth president of Georgia – the first female president in the country's history. Zourabichvili was born in Paris, France, into a family of Georgian political refugees. She joined the French diplomatic service in the 1970s and over three decades went on to occupy a variety of increasingly senior diplomatic positions. From 2003 to 2004, she served as the Ambassador of France to Georgia.

In 2004, by mutual agreement between the presidents of France and Georgia, she accepted Georgian nationality and became the Foreign Minister of Georgia. During her tenure at the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), she negotiated a treaty that led to the withdrawal of Russian forces from the undisputed parts of the Georgian mainland.

On 27 December, U.S. Republican Congressman and Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, Joe Wilson, extended an invitation to Zourabichvili, recognizing her as the sole legitimate leader of Georgia, to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump. He wrote on X: "As the only legitimate leader in Georgia, I am grateful to extend an invite to President Salome Zourabichvili to attend the inauguration of President Donald Trump. I am in awe of her courage in the face of the assault by Ivanishvili and his friends in the CCP & Iranian regime.

In the course of the 2008 Georgian presidential election, Zourabichvili and many other opposition politicians voiced support for the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Bagrationi dynasty, which the Patriarch of Georgia, Ilia II, had advocated.

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