TBILISI – The newly elected president of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvii, said on Thursday her country “has chosen Europe”, a statement that follows the country’s movement towards likely formally requesting membership in the European Union.
Analysts point out that, in regards to Georgia’s path to closer ties to Brussels, it did not matter much whether her or her opponent made it into power during the presidential run-off election.
With almost all votes counted, the French-born ex-diplomat Zurabishvii claimed a solid lead with 59 percent of the vote over her rival Grigol Vashadze, who leads a pro-Western, pro-EU party but was not considered a frontrunner, according to local analysis.
Zurabishvii, however, has been dubbed as somewhat of a wildcard, with “her sharp and crude remarks” considered the woman’s trademark, Georgia expert Max Fras told Euronews. Fras is a fellow at the London School of Economics’ European Institute.
“She is well-known for sharing off-the-cuff comments that not always in line with official policy,” Fras said, explaining that she is somewhat of an unknown quantity, a term echoed by her political status as an independent.
However, Zurabishvii is set to lose a lot of the power she is gaining as the last directly elected president of Georgia, as a new constitution is set to come into force that will make her role largely ceremonial with the establishment of an elected parliament.
President-designate Salome Zurabishvii said previously that she aims to balance Georgia’s relations with Russia and the Western powers, over her competitor that was viewed as more pro-Western.
With her latest statement, however, Zurabishvii appears to affirm that she will stay the course of her predecessors in seeking membership in the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
(c) Breaking911 – Eli Ridder
