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00:00Flanked by the Georgian flag and the golden stars of the European Union,
00:04Salome Zurabishvili said she would vacate the presidential palace, but
00:09vowed to fight on.
00:11I will remain with you whether I am inside the palace or outside the palace.
00:18This building belongs to no one. The palace will remain empty as long as
00:23there's no legitimate president. I am the legitimate president.
00:31Outside the building, thousands of protesters gathered in support of the
00:36pro-European leader. While inside, her successor Mikheil Kavelishvili was
00:42joined by his family and sworn in behind closed doors. A first in the country's
00:49history. I intend to be the president of everyone, those who support me and
00:57also those who do not. I pledge in the future to consolidate and unify the
01:03people. Kavelishvili, a hardline critic of the West and a former football
01:08player, was appointed president by the ruling Georgian Dream Party in mid
01:12December, after they came out on top in October's highly contested
01:17parliamentary election. But Zurabishvili and opposition parties deemed the
01:22results illegitimate and have refused to accept the outcome, calling for new
01:27elections. For the two months since, Tbilisi streets have seen often nightly
01:32protests from civilians who believe Georgian Dream rigged the vote. The
01:37government's subsequent crackdown, involving sweeping arrests, tear gas and
01:41riot police, further mobilised protesters, as did their decision to
01:46postpone EU extension talks until 2028. The Georgian Dream Party maintains that
01:53the election was free and fair and that Kavelishvili is the duly elected
01:58president.