FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former soccer player and right-wing populist politician, has been sworn in as the new president of Georgia amid a months-long political crisis.
Salome Zurabishvili, the outgoing president, left her residence at the presidential palace in Tbilisi on Sunday, but said she remains the legitimate president.
The pro-Western politician, Zurabishvili, said that she is not leaving office. as her successor - chosen by the electoral college dominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party - is "illegitimate".
Georgia has faced anti-government protests since 'Dream Georgia' claimed victory in October's parliamentary elections, which were characterized by allegations of vote-buying, double voting, physical violence and intimidation.
The protests intensified after the Government's decision last month to postpone negotiations on Georgia's membership in the European Union.
In a speech to thousands of supporters gathered outside the presidential palace on December 29, Zurabishvili said she remains the "only legitimate president" and vowed to continue the fight. Her statements came moments after Kavelashvili, 53, a critic of the West, was inaugurated during a ceremony in Parliament. A day earlier, the president joined protesters in Tbilisi, as participants waved Georgian and EU flags and marched through the capital.
The rally marked the one-month anniversary of the latest wave of protests, which have been characterized by violent police action, mass arrests and injuries to protesters.
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