Salome Zourabichvili’s presidential term may officially end on Sunday, but Georgia’s resolutely pro-Western leader has made it clear she is not stepping aside.
On Saturday, Zourabichvili joined thousands of demonstrators across Georgia in forming human chains to protest the expected inauguration of Mikheil Kavelashvili, a controversial far-right figure and former football player, as the country’s new president. Kavelashvili, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, is set to assume office on Sunday amid widespread allegations of election fraud.
Speaking earlier on The Rest Is Politics podcast, Zourabichvili reinforced her refusal to relinquish her position. “This election and its resulting inauguration are not legitimate,” she asserted. “I remain the president, and I will continue to fulfill my duties. That is what the people of Georgia need to know.”
Her defiance has led to a sharp escalation in tensions with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who has threatened her with imprisonment if she refuses to make way for Kavelashvili. “Let’s see where she ends up—behind bars or somewhere else,” Kobakhidze remarked last week.
Kavelashvili was the sole candidate in the recent election held by an electoral college controlled by the increasingly authoritarian Georgian Dream party. Opposition parties boycotted the vote, declaring the entire process illegitimate and accusing the ruling party of rigging the outcome in advance.
The disputed election is expected to deepen the prevailing political turmoil in Georgia, a country already grappling with unresolved tensions since the October parliamentary elections. Georgian Dream claimed a landslide victory in that contest, but opposition parties and Zourabichvili have refused to recognize the results, citing widespread irregularities.
The European Parliament has also weighed in, stating the presidential election was unfair and must be redone. However, attempts to impose sanctions on Georgian Dream officials have been vetoed by Hungary and Slovakia, complicating efforts to hold the ruling party accountable.
Protests against Georgian Dream’s alleged electoral misconduct have gained momentum in recent months, inflamed further by the government’s contentious decision to halt EU membership negotiations. The move has underscored Georgia’s ongoing drift away from European integration under the current administration, fueling public discontent.
Amid mounting tensions, the United States signaled its support for the Georgian opposition by sanctioning Georgian Dream founder and oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili. U.S. officials accused Ivanishvili of undermining Georgia’s democratic and pro-Euro-Atlantic aspirations in favor of alignment with Russia.
The protests were further emboldened by U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson, who extended an invitation to Zourabichvili to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration. Wilson praised Zourabichvili as “the only legitimate leader in Georgia,” reinforcing international backing for her resistance.
As Kavelashvili’s inauguration looms, the political crisis in Georgia shows no sign of abating, with protesters continuing to call for fair elections, democratic reforms, and stronger ties with the West. Zourabichvili’s steadfast defiance has become a rallying point for the growing pro-democracy movement in the South Caucasus nation.
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