Georgian Prime Minister: Maidan failed and will never take place

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that attempts to hold a "Maidan" in the country have failed.

"Maidan failed in Georgia and will never take place", he said at a briefing quoted by local media.

Speaking about the rallies taking place in Tbilisi, he noted that the country's authorities have managed to "completely neutralize the violent resource of the protesters" and today the radical opposition does not have the opportunity to take such steps.

According to the prime minister, now only up to two thousand protesters remain, who gather every day on Rustaveli Boulevard. But at the same time, there are more than one million and 120 thousand citizens who support the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Kobakhidze also congratulated Mikhail Kavelashvili on his election as president of the country. He expressed the opinion that his work in this post will help to consolidate sovereignty and reduce polarization in the republic.

The Prime Minister also commented on the position of the current head of state Salome Zurabishvili, who refuses to recognize the elections.

"I understand her condition, but Zurabishvili will have to leave her post , I can only express my sympathy for her“, he noted.

Kobakhidze also stated that "Georgia has not had a patriot and a mentally and psychologically balanced president for 20 years“.

On Saturday, presidential elections were held in Georgia. The opposition did not participate in the parliamentary session at which the president was elected. At the same time, another protest by opponents of the country's authorities is taking place on the streets.

For the first time in the history of the republic, the president is elected not by direct vote, but by a 300-person assembly. The only contender for the post was the former football player, now MP Mikhail Kavelashvili, nominated by the ruling party "Georgian Dream". Four opposition parties that entered parliament as a result of the elections refused to work in the legislature, declaring the elections rigged.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who previously did not recognize the results of the parliamentary elections, said that she would not resign as president. She believes that "with an illegitimate parliament, there cannot be legitimate presidential elections". In addition, Zurabishvili declared herself the only legitimate representative of power in the country.

In turn, in response to this, Prime Minister Kobakhidze stated that he understood "Zourabichvili's emotional state", but "on the day of her inauguration, December 29, she will have to leave her residence and hand over this building to the legally elected president."