Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has declared she will not vacate office when her six-year term ends on Sunday, asserting her refusal is a stand against what she describes as the complete takeover of the state by the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Zourabichvili, 72, accuses the governing party of serving Moscow’s interests and claims Georgia risks losing its sovereignty under its rule.
The former diplomat has labelled the recent electoral victory of Georgian Dream as a “Russian special operation” and has supported pro-European Union protests against the government.
Under a revised electoral system, Zourabichvili is set to be replaced by former Manchester City footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was the sole candidate in an electoral college process heavily influenced by the ruling party. She has condemned his selection as a travesty.
Zourabichvili’s defiance has sparked a sharp response from the government, which has warned that remaining in office beyond her term constitutes a crime.
Her family fled Georgia in 1921, following the Soviet annexation of the country. Now, a century later, she stands as a vocal critic of what she perceives as a renewed threat to Georgia’s sovereignty and pro-Western aspirations.
Zourabichvili said that if she is forced out, the Georgian Dream party’s control of the state will be complete, and the sovereignty of the country will be lost.
The standoff comes amidst ongoing tensions between Georgia’s government and its citizens, many of whom are calling for closer ties with the EU and rejecting what they see as creeping Russian influence.
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