Georgian PM urges outgoing president to leave presidential residence peacefully

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze does not rule out that outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili, who leaves office in a week's time, may at today's protest rally in Tbilisi announce the appointment of new parliamentary elections and refuse to leave the presidential residence.

“I am sure that Salome Zourabichvili will have enough reason not to violate the country's Criminal Code and peacefully leave the presidential residence on December 29,” Kobakhidze said at a briefing on December 22, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

He called Zourabichvili's discussions with radical opposition leaders on calling repeated parliamentary elections “hysterical.”

“It is very sad that so far President Zourabichvili has turned the presidential residence into a stronghold of the radical opposition,” Kobakhidze said.

Since November 28, protests have been taking place in Tbilisi over the authorities' decision to suspend negotiations on the country's accession to the EU from the agenda until 2028. The main demand of the protesters is the holding of new elections in the country. Their demand is shared by President Zourabichvili, opposition politicians and some NGOs. In the first days, there were mass riots near the Parliament, dozens of law enforcers and protesters, as well as journalists were injured. Since December 4, the situation in Tbilisi has been relatively calm.

Zourabichvili has joined these protests, emphasizing her commitment to Georgia's European aspirations and denouncing the recent parliamentary election results as fraudulent.

The ruling Georgian Dream party has elected Mikheil Kavelashvili as the new president, with his term scheduled to begin on December 29. Zourabichvili, however, disputes the legitimacy of this election and has vowed to stay in her position until new parliamentary elections are held.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili's term is set to conclude on December 29, 2024.

By Khagan Isayev