Mikheil Kavelashvili Sworn in as Georgia’s Sixth President

Mikheil Kavelashvili, elected as the sixth President of Georgia by the electoral college in December, took the oath of office on Sunday at the Parliament, swearing on the Bible and the Constitution.

In his address, Kavelashvili thanked the ruling Georgian Dream party for reposing trust in him and the electoral college for electing him as the country's president, The Caspian Post reports, citing Georgian media.

The new president highlighted the country’s culture, language, history, and traditions, noting the “Georgian language best shows the character of a Georgian person and the emotions that are characteristic only of us”.

The presidential inaugural ceremony was attended by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Honorary Chair and Founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, the Parliament Chair Shalva Papuashvili, and Government officials, as well as the electoral college members, including MPs, representatives of the local self-government, the Supreme Council of the Adjara region and Supreme Council of the Abkhazia region, constitutional bodies, and the Georgian Orthodox Church representatives.

Mikheil Kavelashvili, the former member of the country’s Parliament and former national football team player, on December 14 was elected as the President of Georgia by the electoral college.

Under new rules defined by the Constitution, the President is no longer elected directly, through universal suffrage. Instead, the Central Election Commission formed an electoral college, consisting of 300 members, to elect the President.