Georgia’s Tensions Rise as Demonstrators Gather to Oppose the Presidential Transition

As political tensions rise, thousands of Georgians demonstrate against Mikheil Kavelashvili’s inauguration as president by constructing a human chain.

As Georgia teeters on the verge of a political crisis, thousands of protestors in the capital city of Tbilisi formed a giant human chain on Saturday.

The protest takes place before Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former Manchester City player and supporter of the ruling Georgian Dream party, takes office as president.

Salome Zourabichvili, the outgoing president, has refused to resign and has called Kavelashvili’s election fraudulent. She said earlier this week, “I will not leave this office to the authoritarian control of the Georgian Dream.”

The election of Kavelashvili has been steeped in controversy. His victory comes after the Georgian Dream party’s disputed victory in the October legislative elections, which the opposition says was contaminated by fraud. He was chosen under an electoral college system in which he faced no competition.

The nation’s political impasse has gotten worse as the four major opposition parties boycotted parliament and rejected Kavelashvili’s leadership.

During Saturday’s human chain protest, where Georgian and EU flags were prominently displayed, a protester told the Associated Press, “This isn’t just about one election—it’s about the future of Georgia as a free and democratic nation.”

The Georgian Dream party has come under fire for its increasingly authoritarian policies, which include laws modeled after those of Russia that target the LGBT population, foreign-funded NGOs, and media outlets. It has further alienated pro-European Georgians by refusing to support Western sanctions on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.

Days of protests followed Georgian Dream’s announcement in November that accession discussions would be postponed until 2028, despite the fact that the country’s constitution outlines its path toward EU membership. When riot police used water cannons and tear gas, demonstrators attacked with stones and pyrotechnics, sparking altercations.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, the millionaire founder of Georgian Dream and a former prime minister, was recently sanctioned by the US due to his participation in undermining democracy, which increased tension.

Many have criticized the party’s language, which includes calling the West a “global war party,” as a betrayal of Georgia’s declared ambitions to join the EU and NATO.