President Zourabichvili of Georgia refuses to resign at the end of her six-year term

Salome Zourabichvili condemns Georgia’s ruling party as being under Moscow’s influence and promises to remain in office once her term is up.

Salome Zourabichvili, the president of Georgia, has announced that she would not leave office when her six-year term ends on Sunday. She says her decision is a protest against what she says is the ruling Georgian Dream party’s total takeover of the state.

The 72-year-old Zourabichvili says Georgia might lose its sovereignty under the ruling party’s control and accuses them of acting in Moscow’s best interests.

The former diplomat has backed pro-EU demonstrations against the government and called Georgian Dream’s recent electoral success a “Russian special operation.”

Former Manchester City player Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was the only contender in an electoral college process largely swayed by the governing party, is expected to succeed Zourabichvili under the new election system. His selection has been denounced by her as a farce.

The administration has responded sharply to Zourabichvili’s disobedience, warning that it is illegal for her to stay in office over her term.

After Georgia was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1921, her family left the state. One hundred years later, she is a strong opponent of what she sees as a fresh danger to Georgia’s independence and Western-oriented goals.

According to Zourabichvili, if she is ejected, the Georgian Dream party would have total power over the state and the nation’s sovereignty will be gone.

The stalemate coincides with continuing hostilities between Georgia’s administration and its populace, many of whom are opposing what they see to be encroaching Russian influence and demanding stronger connections with the EU.