Georgians gathered outside the presidency in Tbilisi on the morning of December 29, ahead of the inauguration of Mikheil Kavelashvili, after an election process widely criticised as illegitimate. 

Georgia is now locked in a constitutional crisis, as incumbent President Salome Zourabichvili says she will remain in Orbeliani Palace, the presidential residency, until a legitimate successor is elected. 

The standoff follows weeks of protests initially sparked by the October general election, that Zourabichvili and Georgia’s pro-Western opposition say was rigged in favour of the ruling Georgian Dream party. 

Zourabichvili argues that the newly elected parliament is illegitimate, and is therefore unable to appoint her successor; under new rules Georgia’s president is elected by an Electoral College comprising MPs and other officials. 

"I don’t plan to leave the building," Zourabichvili declared from Orbeliani Palace, vowing to remain in office until new elections are held.

The ruling party picked Kavelashvili, a former Manchester City footballer and ally of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, as Zourabichvili’s replacement. 

His inauguration ceremony is taking place on December 29, amid accusations of election rigging and growing criticism of the ruling party’s democratic backsliding.

Daily protests have taken place in Tbilisi and other towns and cities since Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s November announcement that Georgia would put its EU bid on hold.

Riot police have taken a heavy-handed approach to the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, while protestors have retaliated with fireworks and stones. Hundreds of people including prominent opposition leaders have been arrested. 

Ahead of the inauguration on December 28, protesters formed a symbolic "Chain of Unity" across Tbilisi and major cities like Batumi and Kutaisi, braving cold and rainy weather. Zurabishvili joined the demonstrators, holding hands with citizens. 

Western governments have sharply criticised Georgian Dream’s actions. On December 28, the United States imposed sanctions on Ivanishvili, accusing him of undermining Georgia’s democratic institutions and aligning the country closer to Russian influence.

"Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future has been derailed," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, citing "ongoing and violent repression" of citizens, journalists, and opposition figures. 

US Representative Joe Wilson voiced support for Zurabishvili, saying on December 28: “America stands with the only legitimate Georgian leader Salome Zurabishvili and the Georgian people as they demand free and fair elections.”

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda echoed these concerns in a call with Zourabichvili, warning that Georgia risks becoming another Belarus. "This suspension of EU accession talks undermines Georgia’s will and plays into Russia’s hands," Nausėda said. 

The European Parliament has previously condemned the election as part of a "worsening democratic crisis”, while the UK sanctioned five senior Georgian officials, including the interior minister, for their roles in suppressing protests. Kobakhidze has also been barred from entering Lithuania, having been added to the Baltic States’ sanctions list.