Thousands of protesters in Georgia have formed a massive human chain in the capital city of Tbilisi, ahead of the inauguration of the new president, Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former Manchester City footballer and ally of the ruling Georgian Dream party
The current president, Salome Zourabichvili, has refused to step down, calling Kavelashvili’s election illegitimate. This comes after Georgian Dream’s victory in the October parliamentary elections was marred by allegations of fraud, sparking widespread protests
The protesters, waving Georgian and EU flags, are demanding fresh elections and the release of detained individuals. One protester emphasized the need to protect Georgia from Russian influence, stating, “I am out in the street together with my whole family trying somehow to tear out this small country out of the claws of the Russian empire”
The situation is increasingly tense, with the US imposing sanctions on Georgia’s former prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili, and the EU expressing concerns over Georgia’s democratic backslide
