CNN —Mikheil Kavelashvili was inaugurated as president of Georgia on Sunday, following a tumultuous election period marked by further divisions between pro-Russian and pro-EU factions of the former Soviet state.
Georgia's outgoing pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili (center) condemned her anti-Western successor, telling supporters on Sunday: “I am taking legitimacy with me."
Protesters rally ahead of the inauguration ceremony for Georgian President-elect Mikheil Kavelashvili, in Tblisi.
Because the four main opposition groups have boycotted parliament since October’s disputed election, Kavelashvili was the guaranteed victor.
Despite recent Russian aggression against Georgia, Georgian Dream has long been accused of harboring pro-Russian sympathies and Ivanishvili made his fortune in the Soviet Union.
Persons:
CNN — Mikheil Kavelashvili, –, Kavelashvili, ”, “, Salome Zourabichvili, Sofia Shamanidi, Salome Zurabishvili, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Critics, Mikheil Kavelashvili, Zourabichvili, Ivanishvili
Organizations:
CNN, English Premier League soccer, European Union, Sunday, Associated Press, Getty, country’s Ministry, Internal Affairs, Georgian, Local
Locations:
Georgia, Soviet, Tbilisi, AFP, Tblisi, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet Union