Thousands of Georgian protesters have formed a human chain in the capital Tbilisi ahead of a political confrontation as the new president prepares to be sworn in.
The inauguration of a new president – former Manchester City footballer Mikhail Kavelashvili, who is considered an ally of the ruling Georgian Dream party – is due to take place on Sunday.
But the current head of state, Salome Zurabishvili, refuses to step down, calling her election illegitimate.
Georgian Dream, which has been in power for 12 years, won parliamentary elections in October, but the victory was marred by allegations of fraud and there have been protests since then.
The four main opposition groups rejected Kavelashvili and boycotted the parliament.
It is not yet clear how the concern will be resolved.
Protesters waving Georgian and EU flags formed a human chain that stretched for kilometers on Saturday.
“I'm on the street with my whole family trying to somehow wrest this little country from the clutches of the Russian Empire,” one protester told The Associated Press.
The Georgian Dream has become increasingly authoritarian in recent years, passing Russian-style laws targeting media and non-governmental groups that receive foreign funding and the LGBT community.
She refused to join Western sanctions against Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and called the West a “party of global war”, mocking her stated goal of joining the EU and NATO.
The overwhelming majority of Georgians support the country's path to the EU and this is part of the constitution.
But in November, the country's ruling party said the government would not seek EU accession talks until 2028.
The announcement sparked days of protests, with riot police using tear gas and water cannons against protesters, who retaliated by throwing fireworks and rocks.
USA this week sanctions imposed for the former Prime Minister of Georgia and billionaire founder of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Georgia is a parliamentary democracy, with the president as the head of state and the prime minister as the speaker of the parliament.
Current President Zurabishvili denounced Kavelashvili's election – which was under an electoral college system in which he was the only candidate – as a travesty.
When Zurabishvili became president in 2018, she was backed by Georgian Dream, but has since denounced their disputed election victory in late October as a “Russian special operation” and supported overnight pro-EU protests outside parliament.
Zurabishvili vowed not to step down on Sunday.
The government says that if she refuses to step down, she will be committing a crime.