Thousands protest in Georgia on the eve of political showdowns

Thousands of Georgian protesters have formed a live chain in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, ahead of political showdowns as a new president prepares to be sworn in.

On Sunday, the inauguration of the new president is to take place – former Manchester City football player Mikhail Kavelashvili, who is considered an ally of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

But the current head of state, Salome Zurabishvili, refuses to resign, calling his election illegitimate.

Georgian Dream, which has been in power for 12 years, won parliamentary elections in October, but the victory was marred by allegations of fraud and protests have since erupted.

The four main opposition groups rejected Kavelashvili and boycotted the parliament.

It is not yet clear how the standoff will be resolved.

Protesters, waving Georgian and EU flags, formed a kilometer-long live chain on Saturday.

“I am with my whole family on the street, trying to somehow free this small country from the clutches of the Russian Empire,” one protester told the Associated Press.

Georgian Dream has become increasingly authoritarian in recent years, passing Russian laws aimed at media and non-governmental groups that receive foreign funding and the LGBT community.

He has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has branded the West a “party of global war”, mocking his stated aim of joining the EU and NATO.

The vast majority of Georgians support the country’s path to the EU, and this is part of the constitution.

But in November, the country’s ruling party said the government would not pursue EU accession talks until 2028.

This statement sparked several days of protests, and riot police used tear gas and water cannons against the demonstrators, who responded by throwing fireworks and stones.

USA this week imposed sanctions about former Prime Minister of Georgia and billionaire, founder of “Georgian Dream” Bidina Ivanishvili.

Georgia is a parliamentary democracy where the president is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of the parliament.

The current president, Zurabishvili, condemned Kavelashvili’s election – which took place under the electoral college system, in which he was the only candidate – as a travesty.

When Zurabishvili became president in 2018, she was backed by Georgian Dream, but has since denounced their disputed election victory in late October as a “Russian special operation” and backed overnight pro-EU protests outside parliament.

Zurabishvili promised not to resign on Sunday.

The government says that if she refuses to leave office, she will commit a crime.