Georgia's ruling party elects new president as mass protests continue
Georgia presidential election
Today, on 14 December, Georgia‘s ruling party is holding elections for a new president in the parliament building. For the first time in the country’s history, the president is being elected indirectly by a 300-member electoral college, half of which consists of all members of parliament.
However, the parliament elected on 26 October is single-party, as all four opposition groups that passed the threshold declared the elections rigged and refused to take their seats.
Neither civil society nor the international community recognizes the legitimacy of Georgia’s newly elected parliament, calling all its decisions unconstitutional.
This also applies to the presidential election taking place on 14 December.
The opposition and the current president, Salome Zourabichvili, assert that she remains the legitimate president of Georgia and, in fact, the only legitimate institution in the country—the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces and the nation’s highest representative in foreign relations.
For the 17th day, large-scale demonstrations have been taking place in Tbilisi and other cities across Georgia, with the main demand being the announcement of new parliamentary elections.
Ex-footballer with no degree: Ruling party’s pick for Georgia’s president
The electoral college selecting the president is almost entirely made up of representatives from the ruling Georgian Dream party. There is only one candidate: former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili.
The new president will serve a five-year term.
The voting procedure began at 9 a.m. on 14 December and will continue until 2 p.m. Afterward, there will be a break, votes will be counted, and the results will be announced in the afternoon.
The entire process is overseen by Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission.
Thousands of Georgian citizens began gathering outside the parliament at 8 a.m., carrying slogans protesting the decisions of the illegitimate parliament. Many brought their diplomas to symbolize their opposition to the election of an “unqualified, uneducated candidate for the presidency.”
It’s very cold in Tbilisi, with a strong icy wind, and snow fell in the morning. Protesters have brought dozens of footballs and are playing football en masse in front of the parliament. This is also a reference to Mikheil Kavelashvili, the former footballer and the authorities’ candidate for the presidency.
Protesters are playing football in front of the Parliament in Tbilisi, where ruling party MPs are electing a president today. This references their candidate, former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili, who has no other credentials, no education, and no opponent in an election deemed… pic.twitter.com/lBfX8V4iZO
— JAMnews (@JAMnewsCaucasus) December 14, 2024
On the evening of 13 December, Georgia’s incumbent president, Salome Zourabichvili, held an emergency briefing, declaring that she is the country’s only legitimate and pro-European institution. She stated that she would continue to act on behalf of the Georgian people as the legitimate president until new parliamentary elections are held.
Salome Zourabichvili also briefly joined the protesters outside the parliament in the morning. She told journalists that she was “heading to work” and added, “Everything will be fine.”
The crowd greeted her with applause. “We love you, President,” people shouted.
The Georgian Dream-led parliament made a unique preparation for the presidential elections it organized. It was announced beforehand that the parliament is no longer single-party, as an “opposition” has emerged. This role is being played by a group of deputies who declared their separation from the ruling party and the formation of an opposition faction called “People’s Power.”
This group, referred to as the “pseudo-opposition,” existed in 2023 and was known for its anti-Western rhetoric. It joined Georgian Dream ahead of the parliamentary elections in October but has now “separated” again.
Guram Macharashvili, one of the group’s leaders, stated that they have no fundamental disagreements with the Georgian Dream and left the parliamentary majority “to support the formation of a healthy opposition.”
Experts argue that this division was created to give Georgian Dream a formal justification for claiming they are not alone in parliament and that the “opposition” also participated in the presidential elections.
On the night of 13 December, the parliamentary press office announced the introduction of a “yellow security level” in the building. This means visitor access to the parliament is restricted. Only accredited TV channels are allowed to attend the session, excluding all other independent media outlets.
Such restrictions have become a tradition for the parliament. The “yellow security level” was also declared in May 2024, when the previous parliament passed the “foreign agents” law, as well as on the day the new ruling party-led parliament held its first session.
Both events were accompanied by mass protests outside the parliament building.
