Micheil Kavelasjvili is, unlike the outgoing president Salomé Zourabichvili, loyal to the ruling party Georgian Dream and has harshly criticized Western influence in the country.
The ruling party received nearly 54 percent of the votes in the October election, while the opposition received a total of around 38 percent. The opposition has criticized the result as invalid and the process has been followed by suspicions of fraud, which has also led to massive protests.
Refused to resign at first
EU-friendly Salomé Zourabichvili had previously said that she refused to resign but eventually chose to leave the presidential palace. She is the country's "only legitimate president", she said in a speech to thousands of demonstrators on Sunday.
I will leave the presidential palace and stand with you, carrying with me the legitimacy, the flag, and your trust, she said.
At least 2,000 demonstrators gathered in the capital Tbilisi, and according to an AFP reporter, several EU flags were seen and chants of "Georgia!" were heard.
The power of the Georgian president is primarily ceremonial.
Nordic and Baltic concern
The Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers express concern over the situation in Georgia in a joint statement:
"As long-time friends of Georgia and supporters of the Georgian people's aspirations towards Europe, we are worried about the country's development towards deeper polarization and crisis", the statement reads, shared by Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard on X.
The ministers challenge Georgia to restore the people's trust in the country's democratic institutions and to consider the possibility of new elections following OSCE's recommendations.
