According to posts on social networks, a chain of people connects all seven bridges of Tbilisi, passing cars greet people with beeps.
The published photos show that Zurabishvili has also joined the human chain.
Despite the rain, people with umbrellas in their hands form a human chain in Batumi as well. A similar action is taking place in Kutaisi and elsewhere in the country.
Saturday marks a month since widespread protests began in Georgia against Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement on November 28 that Georgia will withdraw from accession negotiations with the European Union (EU) until the end of 2028.
Smaller protests in Georgia had continued since late October, with people protesting the victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party in parliamentary elections.
The opposition and Zurabishvili also do not recognize the results of the parliamentary elections held on October 26, considering them fake, and are boycotting the new parliamentary convocation. According to the official results, “Georgian Dream” won the election.
The inauguration of the newly elected president Miheil Kavelashvili is expected on Sunday.
The pro-Western opposition has said it will not recognize the vote for the new president and that Zurabishvili will continue to be the legitimate head of state. Zurabishvili announced on November 30 that he will not leave the post of president after the end of his term in December and will remain in office until a legitimate parliament is elected.
On December 14, the electoral college controlled by the ruling party “Georgia’s Dream”, which was boycotted by the opposition, elected Kavelashvili to the post of president. The head of state was previously chosen by direct elections, but in 2017 “Georgia’s Dream” made an amendment to the constitution so that the winner could be determined by the electoral college, which consists of members of parliament and representatives of regions. The ruling party has a majority in this collegium.
It is not yet clear how “Georgian Dream” will react if Zurabishvili refuses to leave the presidential palace after Kavelashvili’s inauguration. Kobahidze has threatened Zurabishvili with prison in that case.
Kobahidze has called the protesters violent groups controlled by the “liberal fascist opposition” and has refused to discuss new elections.
During the first ten days of the protests, the police used disproportionate force against the protesters. Georgian police brutality has drawn international condemnation, and Washington and several European countries have imposed sanctions on Georgian officials.
The United States on Friday also imposed sanctions on the former prime minister and the de facto ruler of the country, Bidzin Ivanishvili, stating that he is trying to destroy the democratic establishment in the interests of Russia.