Pro-Western Georgian president must go – PM
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili will be expected to leave her post later this month when her term ends, the nation’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, has announced. Zourabichvili has rebuffed calls to leave, alleging that recent parliamentary elections were marred by fraud and labeling the current government “illegitimate.”
In a video address released Saturday, the French-born president declared, “I remain your President! There is no legitimate parliament that will elect a new president. My mandate continues until there is a legitimately elected parliament that will legitimately elect a president who will replace me!”
Zourabichvili was elected via direct popular vote. However, a 2017 constitutional reform mandates that the next president be chosen by an electoral college composed of members of parliament and regional representatives. The vote is scheduled for mid-December, with the victor expected to be inaugurated before the end of the month.
Addressing reporters on Sunday, Kobakhidze acknowledged Zourabichvili’s “emotional state” but emphasized that by December 29, “she will have to leave her residence and cede the building to a legitimately elected president.”
The prime minister also confirmed the establishment of a new government following the parliamentary election. He said that Tbilisi has no intention of holding a do-over despite opposition claims of unfairness.
Kobakhidze further pledged that Tbilisi would prevent a scenario akin to the Ukrainian Maidan, referencing the 2014 Western-backed uprising in Kiev that ignited prolonged turmoil.
According to official results, the ruling Georgian Dream party, which advocates pragmatic relations with Russia, secured approximately 54% of the vote.
The results have prompted allegations of electoral fraud and Russian interference – charges that Moscow has denied – leading to significant pro-Western protests that at times have escalated into violence. The unrest has been exacerbated by the government’s decision to postpone EU membership negotiations until 2028. Tbilisi has accused Brussels of using the EU membership issue to interfere in the nation’s domestic affairs.
