Zurabishvili has given the government a week to schedule the elections.

Recently, Zurabishvili, who has supported opposition protests against the parliamentary election results that she deems fraudulent, as well as against the Georgian government's policies regarding Eurointegration, stated that the protests are entering a "new phase," and that the political crisis in the country can only be resolved through the calling of new elections.

Speaking in Tbilisi, the president urged the informal leader of the "Georgian Dream," Bidzina Ivanishvili, and other leaders of the ruling party to engage in negotiations to set a date for new elections.

Zurabishvili's term is set to expire on December 29 — just a week away. The electoral college, which was boycotted by the opposition, has already elected her successor — the former football player Mikhail Kavelashvili, who is loyal to the ruling party "Georgian Dream." He is scheduled to assume office on December 29. However, Zurabishvili stated that she does not intend to leave her position, as she considers the recent vote to be illegitimate.

The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, threatened Zurabishvili on Sunday with criminal prosecution if she exceeds her authority by declaring new elections or refuses to vacate the presidential palace. According to him, there is no desire to imprison the 72-year-old president, so he hopes that Zurabishvili will have "enough prudence." Zurabishvili has declared that she is not afraid of going to prison. However, she did not specify what she would do if the government does not call for new elections. Earlier, the leaders of "Georgian Dream" stated that they would not do so, believing that the elections in which their party won were legitimate.

Protests against the authorities' announced freeze on Eurointegration have been ongoing in Georgia for over 20 days. In the initial days, police typically dispersed the crowds, resulting in hundreds of arrests and injuries. Subsequently, the number of dispersals and arrests decreased, as did the number of participants in the protests, but hundreds or thousands of people continue to gather on Rustaveli Avenue every day. On Sunday, before the president's speech, police obstructed the installation of sound amplification equipment. Technical issues also arose during Zurabishvili's address.