Georgia inaugurates Mikheil Kavelashvili as president - video Dailymotion

FRANCE 24 English

Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00Flanked by the Georgian flag and the golden stars of the European Union,

00:04Salome Zurabishvili said she would vacate the presidential palace, but

00:09vowed to fight on.

00:11I will remain with you whether I am inside the palace or outside the palace.

00:18This building belongs to no one. The palace will remain empty as long as

00:23there's no legitimate president. I am the legitimate president.

00:31Outside the building, thousands of protesters gathered in support of the

00:36pro-European leader. While inside, her successor Mikheil Kavelishvili was

00:42joined by his family and sworn in behind closed doors. A first in the country's

00:49history. I intend to be the president of everyone, those who support me and

00:57also those who do not. I pledge in the future to consolidate and unify the

01:03people. Kavelishvili, a hardline critic of the West and a former football

01:08player, was appointed president by the ruling Georgian Dream Party in mid

01:12December, after they came out on top in October's highly contested

01:17parliamentary election. But Zurabishvili and opposition parties deemed the

01:22results illegitimate and have refused to accept the outcome, calling for new

01:27elections. For the two months since, Tbilisi streets have seen often nightly

01:32protests from civilians who believe Georgian Dream rigged the vote. The

01:37government's subsequent crackdown, involving sweeping arrests, tear gas and

01:41riot police, further mobilised protesters, as did their decision to

01:46postpone EU extension talks until 2028. The Georgian Dream Party maintains that

01:53the election was free and fair and that Kavelishvili is the duly elected

01:58president.

Georgia inaugurates Mikheil Kavelashvili as president

Category

Transcript

Recommended