Georgia’s First Female President Takes Oath

Salome Zurabishvili, Georgia’s First Female President, took the oath and thus has been sworn in as the fifth president of Georgia after which President Giorgi Margvelashvili’s authority expired.

“I, President of Georgia, declare before God and the nation that I will defend the Constitution of Georgia, independence, unity, and the integrity of the country, to honestly fulfil the President's duties, to care for the safety and well-being of my country's citizens, for the revival and power of my people and the land,” Zurabishvili stated during the inauguration ceremony at the Batoni Palace fortress in Telavi Municipality on December 16.

Around 1800 people took part in the ceremony, including 150 representatives from around 55 countries. High-ranking guests from more than 20 countries and 16 international organizations also arrived in Georgia for the inauguration of the 5th President.

The list of honorary guests includes President of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy and former Minister of Defense; Vice-President of the Republic of Turkey; Speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament, Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia; President of the Senate of the Czech Republic; Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania; Marshal of the Polish Senate and Head of the Presidential Office; Vice Prime Minister of Moldova; Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade of Turkmenistan; the Minister of Environment and Climate Change of the United Arab Emirates; Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus; Vice-Speaker of the Knesset of Israel and First Deputy Foreign Minister; GUAM Secretary-General; Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine; Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan; USAID representative from the US.

After the ceremony, the new president hosted guests at Vazha-Pshavela Theater in Telavi at a special reception.

Now that the new President has taken the oath, a new Constitution of Georgia has come into force. The Constitution consists of 11 chapters and 78 articles and it sets the principles of human rights and defines authorities among the governmental branches.

By Thea Morrison

Photo source: 1TV