<picture class="article__media"> <img src="https://img.lemde.fr/2024/12/29/0/0/4990/3186/664/0/75/0/efee675_2024-12-29t081300z-1581593197-rc2vybah3aol-rtrmadp-3-georgia-politics-inauguration.JPG" alt="Images Le Monde.fr" width="100%" height="auto"> </picture> <noscript> <img src="https://img.lemde.fr/2024/12/29/0/0/4990/3186/664/0/75/0/efee675_2024-12-29t081300z-1581593197-rc2vybah3aol-rtrmadp-3-georgia-politics-inauguration.JPG" alt="Mikheil Kavelashvili, elected by lawmakers as Georgia's new President, walks during his swearing-in ceremony at the parliament in Tbilisi, Georgia December 29, 2024. "> </noscript> <figcaption class="article__legend" aria-hidden="true">Mikheil Kavelashvili, elected by lawmakers as Georgia's new President, walks during his swearing-in ceremony at the parliament in Tbilisi, Georgia December 29, 2024. IRAKLI GEDENIDZE / REUTERS </figcaption>

Georgia on Sunday, December 29, inaugurated governing party loyalist Mikheil Kavelashvili as president despite his election being declared "illegitimate" by the outgoing leader and opposition groups.

The far-right former footballer was sworn in at a parliamentary ceremony moments after outgoing president Salomé Zurabishvili said she was the "only legitimate president" and vowed to fight against the Georgian Dream party that controls parliament.

"I remain the only legitimate president," she told thousands of pro-EU demonstrators. "I will leave the presidential palace and stand with you, carrying with me the legitimacy, the flag and your trust."

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Le Monde with AFP

Georgia's pro-EU president Salomé Zurabishvili declared she was the country's 'only legitimate president,' her term ended.{ai:summary}Mikheil Kavelashvili was inaugurated as Georgia's new president on December 29, 2024, despite claims of illegitimacy from outgoing president Salomé Zurabishvili and opposition groups. Zurabishvili asserted her position as the "only legitimate president" during a rally of pro-EU supporters.Kavelashvili's election is seen as a consolidation of power for the ruling Georgian Dream party, which has faced criticism from opposition factions and concerns about democratic integrity. #politics