The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, recently posted a photo of the New Year's decoration of the presidential residence in Tbilisi. "They put a train in front of the Orbeliani palace," she wrote on Facebook. "Let's see who leaves".
The electoral college dominated by the Georgian Dream party is expected to choose Mihailo Kavelashvili, a 14-year-old former soccer player and right-wing populist, as Georgia's next president on December 53. The inauguration should be on December 29.
But at a time when Georgia is rocked by anti-government protests, 72-year-old Zurabishvili, whose term expires this year, said she is not leaving. "There will be no inauguration and my mandate continues," the current president said on November 30.
A diplomat versus a football player
The background and political views of the two politicians could not be more different.
Zourabishvili was born to Georgian immigrants in France who fled the Red Army invasion in 1921. She worked in French diplomacy for decades before becoming Georgia's foreign minister in 2004. During her political ascent, she appealed more to urban and progressive segments of Georgian society, consistently advocating for the country's entry into the European Union (EU).
She sided with the protesters - and not for the first time - who have been taking to the streets across the country for more than two weeks to protest the government's decision to suspend Georgia's EU membership. The authorities responded to the protests with violence against demonstrators, opposition activists and journalists.
Although Georgian Dream supported her during her successful presidential bid in 2018, Zurabishvili was a thorn in the side of the ruling party. Although the officially non-partisan president of Georgia has a limited ceremonial role, Zurabishvili criticized Georgian Dream for the party's increasingly authoritarian stance.
While Zurabishvili often presented herself as the protector of democracy, Kavelashvili presented himself as the protector of the people.
After entering parliament in 2016, Kavelashvili, a famous football player, founded the People's Power party as a more radical, anti-Western offshoot of the Georgian Dream.
Appealing to a conservative rural population, he often pits "traditional Georgian values" against what he sees as the perversions of Western liberalism and has taken a hard line on immigration and national sovereignty.
Kavelashvili has the support of Georgian Dream and the extremely powerful founder of that party, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.
"He is the best embodiment of a Georgian man. A wonderful husband and father of four children," Ivanishvili said when he introduced him as a presidential candidate on November 27.
Disputed elections
At the heart of the conflict is a dispute over the recent parliamentary elections in Georgia. After voting on October 26, Georgian Dream declared a convincing victory, winning 54 percent of the vote, while four affiliated opposition lists received 38 percent.
International observers and the opposition claim that the elections are irregular, stating that the results are flawed due to widespread irregularities and vote fraud. Zurabishvili said that the elections were "stolen" with the help of Russia and considers the parliament – and thus the electoral college – illegitimate.
Zurabishvili is the last Georgian president to be elected by direct vote. In 2017, Georgia adopted a new system of indirect presidential elections as part of constitutional changes ostensibly aimed at strengthening parliamentary democracy, reducing political polarization and aligning with European norms where presidents typically have limited ceremonial roles.
Critics of the reform, however, say that it is about strengthening the power of the Georgian Dream, in order to weaken political competition and undermine control over parliament and the government.
Increasing tensions
Since coming to power in 2012, Georgian Dream has come under increasing criticism for its turn toward authoritarianism, including accusations of influencing elections, interfering with the judiciary and repressing the media. Over the past year, the US and the European Union have criticized Georgia for its controversial anti-LGBT and "foreign agent" laws, which Kavelashvili enthusiastically supported.
As thousands of Georgians continue to protest in the capital, facing brutal police tactics, there are unsubstantiated rumors that Zurabishvili will barricade himself inside the presidential palace. Many protesters fear that the police will start clearing Rustaveli Avenue, where the demonstrations are taking place, ahead of the election.
Voting is expected to begin on December 14 at nine o'clock and the results will be announced that day. There are representatives of the opposition in the electoral college, but they refuse to participate in the voting. And since there is only one candidate, there is no possibility of a second round.
This is not the first time Georgia has faced such a situation. After being elected as the country's first president in May 1991, Zviad Gamsakhurdija was overthrown in a coup d'état. In exile, he refused to relinquish power or recognize the new government led by Eduard Shevarnadze, the glasnost-era Soviet foreign minister.
Gamsakhurdija returned to Georgia in 1993, leading an unsuccessful armed resistance. He died later that year under mysterious circumstances.
The result of the December 14 presidential election will almost certainly not be recognized by the Georgian opposition or civil society activists. Although Kavelashvili and the ruling party remain popular among some Georgians – especially those not affected by the demonstrations – Zurabishvili has the support of protesters, with police violence against them shocking many in Georgia.
"I'm protected by people on the street," she told the BBC on December 1. "I think that the ruling party is very isolated today and will become even more isolated".
Bonus video:
