BRUSSELS
Former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili declared herself head of state on Thursday, even though her term had expired in December, and announced that she would continue to perform “presidential functions” from her new office in Tbilisi.
“Today, I would like to welcome you to this new office, which serves as an extension of the Orbeliani Palace, the official presidential residence. While it may not resemble the Orbeliani Palace, its soul and spirit are here, and the functions of the president will continue here,” Zourabichvili said at a press conference in Tbilisi.
She described the situation in Georgia as a “deep crisis” and asserted that the solution lies in holding new parliamentary elections.
Zourabichvili also announced plans to meet with the general public, including a visit to Zugdidi city in western Georgia on January 10. “I am the president, and I will remain the president,” she declared.
During the briefing at her new office on Chovelidze Street in central Tbilisi, she sat with the “presidential protocol,” which included the Georgian and European Union flags behind her.
On Dec. 29, former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili was inaugurated as Georgia’s sixth president. The 53-year-old, the only candidate on the ballot, won on Dec. 14 after a vote by a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential election in 2017.
The vote, however, was overshadowed by political tensions stemming from an October election in which Georgian Dream won an 89-seat majority in the 150-seat parliament with 53.93% of the vote, a result that Zourabichvili refused to recognize and boycotted parliament sessions.
During Kavelashvili’s inauguration, Zourabichvili addressed her supporters in the courtyard of the presidential residence. She announced her decision to vacate the official residence but vowed to continue her political struggle, rejecting the results of the October 26 parliamentary elections and proclaiming herself the only legitimate president.
