Political analyst points to Zurabishvili's lack of chances to remain president of Georgia

The incumbent president of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, is most likely to fail to retain the post of the head of state after the upcoming elections. This opinion was shared with Izvestia on November 27 by international political scientist Enes Karakhanov.

"Zurabishvili, despite the support of the opposition, has virtually no chance of re-election. Her open criticism of the ruling party and disagreements with it actually exclude the possibility of being supported again by the electoral college," he said.

According to the source, former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, is named as the main candidate for the post of President. He is likely to be the consensus figure for the party. Possible alternatives like Konstantin Gamsakhurdia (son of Georgia's first president Zviad Gamsakhurdia - Ed.) are being discussed, but the probability of their nomination is low, the expert believes.

He also emphasized that the results of the elections will not be unexpected, as the president will be determined by the electoral college, most of which are representatives of the Georgian Dream.

"The possibility of falsifications at the level of the electoral college, where the majority is controlled by the ruling party, is questionable, and Georgian Dream's control over the election procedure minimizes these risks," the political analyst added.

At the same time, he noted that it is possible but unlikely that the West will carry out a color revolution in Georgia. In his opinion, the protests in the country will continue, but they will not develop into a full-fledged revolution, despite the relevant potential.

"The elections in Georgia will test the stability of the country's political system," Karakhanov summarized.

Didn't believe in "Dream": Georgian authorities refused to cooperate with radical opposition

What will be the course of the Georgian ruling party and should we expect large-scale protests in the republic?

The day before, political scientist Gleb Belyakov also pointed to the possibility of the Georgian Dream to de facto appoint a president. He specified that the president will be elected by an electoral college of 300 people: 150 members of parliament (Georgian Dream has 89 seats) and 150 members of local authorities.

Presidential elections in Georgia will be held on December 14, and the inauguration of the new state leader will take place on December 29.

In October, parliamentary elections were held in Georgia, which were won by the Georgian Dream. Zurabishvili did not recognize the results of the vote, she was supported in this by three opposition political forces - United National Movement, Coalition for Change and Strong Georgia.

In 2017, Georgia officially abandoned the mixed system and became a parliamentary republic in which the president performs representative functions.