At least 2,000 people gathered this morning in front of the presidential palace in Georgia to denounce the imminent inauguration of the new president who is loyal to the ruling party, the Michael Kavelashvili, in a new episode of a political crisis that broke out two months ago.

Many protesters were waving European Union flags, as reported by AFP journalists.

However, the new president of the country Mikhail Kavelashvili and a hard-line critic of the West introduced himself to the parliament and during his swearing-in ceremony, he said: “I, the President of Georgia, swear before God and the people, that I will defend the Constitution of Georgia, the independence, integrity and indivisibility of the country; I faithfully fulfill the duties of the President; I care for the security, The existence and position of the citizens of my country and the rebirth and strength of my people and Homeland”.

A few minutes earlier, the outgoing pro-European president Salome Zourabisviliwho is critical of the ruling party, said in a speech to supporters outside the presidential palace that she was leaving the presidential residence but remained the “only legitimate president” of the country, vowing to fight against the ruling party Georgian Dream.

Zurabishvili maintains that Kavelashvili was not elected in a proper way, as the MPs who voted for him were elected in parliamentary elections in October that she says were marred by fraud. The opposition parties in Georgia support her.

The ruling Georgian Dream party and the country’s electoral commission say the October elections were free and fair. The ruling party maintains that Kavelashvili was elected president in a proper manner.

For weeks, thousands of people take to the streets every day in Agriculture to demand a return to pro-European policies and a repeat of October’s parliamentary elections, in which the ruling nationalist party Georgian Dream declared his victory.

Protesters fear the party is too close to Russia and will bring the country even closer to Moscow, decades after it gained independence from the Soviet Union.

OR Zurabishvili insists he will not step down from the presidency, which traditionally has a ceremonial role in Georgia.

The Georgian Dream named the ex-footballer Kavelashvili for the presidency. The 53-year-old has been a member of the Georgian Parliament since 2016.

The ruling party has frozen negotiations on the country’s European Union membership until 2028, sparking protests across Georgia.