Thousands protest in Georgia as new president sworn in

Thousands of Georgian protesters person formed a quality concatenation successful the capital, Tbilisi, up of a governmental showdown arsenic the caller president prepares to beryllium sworn in.

The inauguration of a caller president - erstwhile Manchester City footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili, who is seen arsenic an state of the ruling Georgian Dream enactment - is owed connected Sunday.

But the existent caput of state, Salome Zourabichvili, is refusing to measurement down, describing his predetermination arsenic illegitimate.

Georgian Dream, which has been successful powerfulness for 12 years, won parliamentary elections successful October, but the triumph was mired by allegations of fraud and determination person since been protests.

The 4 main absorption groups person rejected Kavelashvili and boycotted parliament.

It is arsenic yet unclear however the stand-off volition beryllium resolved.

Protesters, waving Georgian and EU flags, formed a quality concatenation that spanned kilometres connected Saturday.

"I americium retired successful the thoroughfare unneurotic with my full household trying someway to teardrop retired this tiny state retired of the claws of the Russian empire," 1 protester told the Associated Press.

Georgian Dream has go progressively authoritarian successful caller years, passing Russian-style laws targeting media and non-government groups who person overseas funding, and the LGBT community.

It refused to articulation Western sanctions connected Russia aft the full-scale penetration of Ukraine, and called the West the "global warfare party", making a mockery of its stated purpose of joining the EU and Nato.

An overwhelming bulk of Georgians backmost the country's way to the EU and it is portion of the constitution.

But successful November, the country's ruling enactment said the authorities would not question EU accession talks until 2028.

The announcement sparked days of protests, and riot constabulary utilized teardrop state and h2o cannon against protesters, who fought backmost by throwing fireworks and stones.

The US this week imposed sanctions connected Georgia's erstwhile premier curate and billionaire laminitis of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Georgia is simply a parliamentary ideology with the president the caput of state, and the premier curate the caput of parliament.

The existent president, Zourabichvili, has denounced Kavelashvili's predetermination - which was nether an electoral assemblage strategy successful which helium was the lone campaigner - arsenic a travesty.

When Zourabichvili became president successful 2018 she was endorsed by Georgian Dream, but she has since condemned their contested predetermination triumph successful precocious October arsenic a "Russian peculiar operation" and backed nightly pro-EU protests extracurricular parliament.

Zourabichvili has vowed not to measurement down connected Sunday.

The authorities says if she refuses to permission bureau she volition beryllium committing a crime.