<span class="t-location">Tbilisi (AFP) – </span> Georgia is set to inaugurate on Sunday a ruling party loyalist as president, after his election was declared "illegitimate" by the outgoing leader and the pro-Western opposition. <br><span class="m-pub-dates__date">Issued on: <time datetime="2024-12-29T02:58:15+0000" pubdate="pubdate">29/12/2024 - 03:58</time></span><br>Former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili's inauguration is expected to further escalate the political crisis which has seen mass pro-EU demonstrations.<br>The Black Sea nation has been in turmoil since October's disputed parliamentary elections and the government's decision to shelve European Union accession talks.<br>Thousands have taken to the streets daily for a month, accusing the increasingly repressive government of derailing Tbilisi's European Union bid, with a fresh rally planned outside parliament during Kavelashvili's inauguration.<br>For the first time in Georgia's history, the swearing-in ceremony will be held behind closed doors in the parliamentary chamber.<br>On December 14, an electoral college controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party installed the far-right ex-Manchester City striker as the country's next figurehead leader.<br>But outgoing President Salome Zurabishvili, whose mandate ends with the new leader's inauguration, has vowed to not step down until the government announces fresh parliamentary elections.<br>Opposition parties have refused to enter the newly elected parliament, while Zurabishvili has declared the legislature, the government and president-elect "illegitimate".<br>Addressing tens of thousands of protesters last Sunday, she said that a re-run of the "illegitimate" election would be the "formula to resolve such a crisis".<br>Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement on November 28 that Tbilisi would not seek the opening of EU accession talks until 2028 triggered a month of daily mass protests which are still ongoing.<br>It remains unclear how Georgian Dream would react if Zurabishvili refuses to leave the presidential palace.<br>She is hugely popular among protesters who see her as a beacon of Georgia's European aspirations.<br>Many have vowed to defend her against any attempted eviction from office.<br>Kobakhidze said Zurabishvili's failure to vacate the Orbeliani Palace "would constitute a criminal offence punishable by many years of imprisonment".<br>Mirroring language reminiscent of that used by the Kremlin about its political opponents, Kobakhidze has described protesters as "violent groups" controlled by a "liberal fascist" opposition and ruled out calling fresh elections.<br>In the first 10 days of protests, riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators -- some of whom threw fireworks and stones.<br>The interior ministry reported more than 400 arrests, while the country's top human rights official, ombudsman Levan Ioseliani and Amnesty International have accused security forces of "torturing" those detained.<br>The reported police brutality has drawn growing international condemnation, with Washington and several European countries imposing visa bans on Georgian Dream officials.<br>On Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on Georgia's former prime minister and the honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, saying he undermined the country's democratic future for Russia's benefit.<br>Oligarch Ivanishvili, Georgia's richest man, is widely regarded as the de facto leader of Georgia, despite holding no official position.<br>Last week, the United States and Britain slapped sanctions on Georgia's interior minister and other senior officials over a clampdown on pro-Western demonstrators.<br>Constitutional law experts -- including one author of Georgia's constitution, Vakhtang Khmaladze -- have also said the new parliament, government and president-elect are "illegitimate".<br>That is because a court ruling on Zurabishvili's bid to get parliamentary poll results annulled was still pending at the time the chamber convened. The court eventually ruled the case inadmissible.<br>Tensions have ratcheted higher in Georgia since 2022, driven by the ruling party's shift from its initially liberal, pro-Western agenda to what critics have denounced as an ultra-conservative pro-Russian tilt.<br>That has led Brussels to freeze Georgia's EU accession process.<br>© 2024 AFP<br> © 2024 Copyright RFI - All rights reserved. RFI is not responsible for the content of external websites. 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