Protesters take to the streets after inauguration of Georgia’s new president

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Mikheil Kavelashvili, an ally of Georgia’s authoritarian ruling get together, has been sworn in as president of the Caucasus nation, sparking extra protests within the capital Tbilisi.

Kavelashvili’s inauguration marks the ultimate step in what critics have described as a state seize by pro-Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose Georgian Dream get together has introduced all of the nation’s establishments beneath its management since coming to energy in 2012. The only candidate for the function was elected this month by a school of 300 members, principally GD members or sympathisers.

Protesters took to the streets with pink playing cards — a logo of their opposition to the previous footballer, a striker for Manchester Metropolis and several other Swiss golf equipment, turned ultranationalist firebrand.

Demonstrators, who’ve held day by day rallies for the previous month because the nation’s political disaster escalated, welcomed a transfer by the US state division to impose sanctions on Ivanishvili. He was hit by the measures, which have been introduced on Friday, for “undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic way forward for Georgia for the advantage of the Russian Federation”.

Leaving the Orbeliani Palace, the presidential seat, on Sunday, Salome Zourabichvili, the nation’s outgoing president and de facto opposition chief, mentioned she remained the rightful holder of the function.

In a speech to Georgians gathered in entrance of the palace, she denounced Kavelashvili’s inauguration as a “parody” and affirmed her loyalty to “the nation and the individuals . . . I’ll go away right here with you and stay with you.”

Protesters in Tbilisi hold up red cards — a symbol of their opposition to Kavelashvili, a former footballer turned ultranationalist firebrand — Protesters in Tbilisi maintain up pink playing cards — a logo of their opposition to Kavelashvili, a former footballer turned ultranationalist firebrand © David Mdzinaeishvili/EPA/EFE-Shutterstock

Zourabichvili had been unsure whether or not to barricade herself within the palace or go away it, a number of individuals acquainted with the matter informed the Monetary Instances. She had additionally mentioned she wouldn’t step down till new elections have been held, arguing that the school, dominated by ruling get together members, didn’t have the legitimacy to elect Kavelashvili as president.

She has additionally demanded new elections. The European parliament mentioned October’s vote was “neither free nor truthful”.

Georgia has skilled a yr of political upheaval. On December 14 final yr, individuals took to the streets of Tbilisi and different cities to have a good time the nation acquiring EU candidate standing, a long-held dream for a lot of within the small Caucasus nation of three.8mn.

However the authoritarian slide accelerated in Could when parliament adopted a international brokers regulation, dubbed the “Russian regulation” for its parallels with Moscow’s strategies of suppressing dissent, regardless of months of protests.

Non-governmental organisations warned it was a device to dismantle civil society, mirroring Russia’s observe of utilizing the “international agent” label as a precursor to prosecution. In contrast to in Russia, organisations in Georgia should self-register, however most NGOs have refused in protest.

The subsequent flashpoint got here in October’s parliamentary elections when Georgian Dream claimed 54 per cent of the vote. There have been widespread violations on election day, together with poll stuffing, stolen IDs and “carousel voting”, during which the identical individuals voted at a number of polling stations, in keeping with a number of observers. Opposition events rejected the outcomes, boycotted parliament and demanded new elections.

Irakli Kobakhidze, the GD-backed prime minister, in late November introduced that Georgia was suspending EU accession talks, pledging to revisit the difficulty in 2028 so the nation may be a part of “with dignity”.

Protests elevated in depth and have been met with an unprecedented police crackdown, with dozens hospitalised and a whole lot detained.

“Cracks within the system appeared as individuals turned on Georgian Dream, seeing their neighbours and household crushed — this was the ultimate straw,” mentioned Tamar Chergoleishvili, an opposition politician and former media supervisor.

Elene Khoshtaria, chief of Droa! (It’s Time!), a part of the liberal coalition that got here second within the parliamentary elections in keeping with the official outcomes, known as the opposition “a nationwide resistance motion”.

“It’s not about which get together you want. It’s about whether or not you and your youngsters can proceed to reside on this nation in a roughly peaceable approach,” she mentioned.

For some opposition politicians, the nation’s descent into authoritarianism was no shock.

“For over 10 years I’ve been saying that Ivanishvili’s trajectory is in the direction of [Ukraine’s former pro-Russian president Viktor] Yanukovich,” mentioned Giga Bokeria, a former nationwide safety adviser. “I is likely to be shocked by the pace and sure types of the flip, however not the flip itself.”

Kornely Kakachia, director of the Georgian Institute of Politics in Tbilisi, mentioned the ruling get together was taking of venture by rising its oppression of civil society.

“The extra they oppress individuals, the extra they exit,” he mentioned. “Georgians is not going to tolerate this. Too many individuals [have] bought fed up with Ivanishvili.”