Georgia inaugurates Kavelashvili as president, complicating EU futures [Video]

TBILISI, Georgia –

Former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili was formally inaugurated as president of Georgia on Sunday, cementing the ruling party’s grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s EU aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia.

Outgoing pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said Sunday morning that she would vacate her residence at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, but insisted she was still the legitimate office holder.

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“I will come out of here, come out to you and be with you. … This presidential residence was a symbol as long as there was a president here who was legitimate. I bring legitimacy with me,” Zourabichvili told a crowd of supporters outside the palace.

She called Kavelashvili’s inauguration a “parody.”

Kavelashvili, 53, who was the only candidate on the ballot, easily won the vote earlier in December given the …