**Georgian Dream Inaugurates Mikheil Kavelashvili as President**
On December 29, the Georgian Dream party held an inauguration ceremony for its chosen candidate, Mikheil Kavelashvili, as the new President of Georgia. The ceremony took place in the parliament building and was attended by no foreign ambassadors.
Kavelashvili was elected President on December 14 after receiving 224 votes from the college comprising of the all-GD legislature and local councilors. However, his legitimacy has been rejected by domestic and international actors who consider President Salome Zurabishvili as the only legitimate institution in the country.
**International Reactions**
Several world leaders have spoken out against Kavelashvili’s inauguration, citing concerns about the legitimacy of the process. Here are some quotes from key figures:
* Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania: “Just another day in a ‘traditional’ European democracy where no one can take the ‘dream party’ seriously…”
* Caspar Veldkamp, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: “The installation of Kavelashvili as President is a sham and undermines the sovereignty of Georgia.”
* Tamás Sulyok, Hungarian President: “To Mikheil Kavelashvili, I offer my congratulations and best wishes on your election as President of Georgia…”
* Leonid Slutsky, Head of the Russian State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs: “Georgia confidently passes the test of sovereignty and independence. Mikhail Kavelashvili has officially assumed the office of President and his legal rights.”
* Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee: “Salomé ‘takes legitimacy with her’. Apparently she’s going to store it in a trunk full of old clothes…”
The inauguration ceremony was met with widespread criticism from international leaders, who are calling for free and fair elections in Georgia.