Tbilisi, December 30 (HS): West's staunch critic and former football player Mikhail Kavelashvili was sworn in as Georgia's new president on Sunday.

Pro-West outgoing Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said on Sunday morning that she would vacate her residence at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, but insisted she was still the legitimate office holder. She described Kavelashvili's swearing-in as a parody.

Zourabichvili told a crowd of supporters outside the palace, I will come out of here, come to you and be with you. ... This presidential residence was a symbol as long as there was a legitimate president here. I am taking legitimacy with me, I am taking the flag with me, I am taking your trust with me.

In his speech on Sunday, 53-year-old Kavelashvili promised that he would be the president of everyone, whether they like me or not. He called on the nation to unite on the principles of shared values, mutual respect and to build the future.

Meanwhile, former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and the main pro-Western parties have boycotted the post-election parliamentary sessions and demanded a re-vote.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar