Salome Zurabishvili is a tragic figure, Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister of Georgia and head of the pro-Russian group Georgian Dream, said on Saturday. Kobachidze announced that the pro-Western president will leave the presidential palace in two weeks. Yesterday, a special electoral college consisting of members of parliament, mainly from the pro-Russian “Georgian Dream” party and representatives of local authorities, elected the president. The current president stated that “no one elected anyone”.
– The media reports that the swearing-in of the new president of Georgia will take place in two weeks, and President Salome Zurabishvili should leave his post, Irakli Kobakhidze said on Saturday, according to the Georgian news agency Interpressnews. According to the prime minister, the resigned leader “is in a serious mental condition”. Kobachidze also described him as “a tragic figure who worked for foreign forces.”
Salome Zurabishvili surrounded by bodyguards and colleagues DAVID MDZINARISHVILI/PAP/EPA
Also read: Accurate statement of the president of Georgia
Election of successors
Yesterday, a special electoral college consisting of members of parliament, mainly from the pro-Russian “Georgian Dream” and representatives of local authorities, elected the president of the Republic of Georgia. The candidate was politician and former football player Mikhail Kavelashvili, nominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party. He was the only candidate for this position. Salome Zurabishvili announced that she will not leave her post and will not recognize the election of the new president.
Prime Minister Irakliy Kobachidze congratulated the president-elect on his victory. According to him, “the election of Kavelashvili will help to strengthen the statehood and sovereignty of Georgia.” – Georgia has not had such a patriotic and mentally balanced president for more than 20 years. President Kavelashvili will be a turning point for our country, said the head of the government.
– Although we have “red lines”, we are ready to do everything for Georgia to finally become a member of the European Union. The head of the government of Georgia said that the newly elected president Mikhail Kavelashvili occupies the same position.
– We believe that the joining of Georgia to the European Union by 2030 is quite real, – said Kobachidze. In this way, he pointed to the suspension of the government's negotiations on the country's accession to the European Union until 2028, which was announced on November 28. This decision caused a wave of anti-government protests.
Zurabishvili: No one chose anyone
After the announcement of the results of the presidential election, Zurabishvili addressed the citizens gathered outside his residence, the Orbeliani Palace. As Echo Kavkaza (Radio Svoboda) reported, the leader said that “no one chose anyone, nothing happened.”
The participants of the anti-government demonstration in front of the parliament building received the results of the presidential election very calmly. They watched the members of the collegium leave the meeting hall without any excitement. But the demonstrators will not leave the square in front of the parliament building, which is surrounded by the police.
Main photo credit: DAVID MDZINARISHVILI/PAP/EPA
