Former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili became Georgia’s president on Saturday, as the ruling party tightened its grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s European aspirations and a victory for Russia’s former imperial leader.
Kavelashvili, 53, easily won the vote given that the Georgian Dream party controls a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017.
Georgian Dream retained control of the South Caucasus country’s parliament in an Oct. 26 election that the opposition says was rigged with help from Moscow. The outgoing president of Georgia and the main pro-Western parties have since boycotted parliamentary sessions and demanded a repeat of the vote.
Georgian Dream has pledged to continue its push for EU membership, but also wants to “reset” its ties with Russia.
In 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow’s recognition of the independence of two breakaway regions and an increase in Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Critics have accused the Georgian Dream – founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a mysterious billionaire who made his fortune in Russia – of becoming increasingly authoritarian and Moscow-leaning, charges the ruling party has denied.
The party recently passed laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to suppress free speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
Who is Mikheil Kavelashvili?
Kavelashvili, nominated by Georgian Dream, was mocked by the opposition for his lack of higher education.
He began his career with Georgian giants Dinamo Tbilisi and won three first division titles with the team, before joining Manchester City on deadline day in 1995.
Mikheil Kavelashvili of the FIFA World Stars team, right, shoots on goal during the Reunification Cup against the Chinese national team in Hong Kong, July 1, 2007. | Photo credit: AP
Mikheil Kavelashvili of the FIFA World Stars team, right, shoots on goal during the Reunification Cup against the Chinese national team in Hong Kong, July 1, 2007. | Photo credit: AP
He scored on his debut against Manchester United and made 24 appearances in his first season in England. He was then loaned to Grasshoppers Club Zurich, where he won the first division in 1998.
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Kavelashvili represented the Georgian national team 46 times and scored nine goals.
Kavelashvili’s political career
He was elected to Parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream list and in 2022 co-founded the political movement People Power, allied with the Georgian Dream and become known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric.
Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power”, similar to a law Russian language used to discredit organizations critical of the government. .
Georgian President-elect Mikheil Kavelashvili is greeted by members of the electoral college at the Georgian parliament, in Tbilisi, Georgia. | Photo credit: AP
Georgian President-elect Mikheil Kavelashvili is greeted by members of the electoral college at the Georgian parliament, in Tbilisi, Georgia. | Photo credit: AP
The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that the country complies with the bloc’s recommendations, suspended its membership and reduced its financial support in June after the approval of the law on ” foreign influence.
Thousands of protesters converged on the Parliament building every evening after the government announced the suspension of EU accession negotiations on November 28.
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Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat dozens of protesters, some of whom threw fireworks at officers and built barricades on the capital’s central boulevard.
Hundreds of people were arrested and more than 100 were treated for their injuries.
Several journalists have been beaten by police and media workers have accused authorities of using thugs to dissuade people from participating in anti-government rallies, something Georgian Dream denies.
The crackdown drew strong condemnation from U.S. and European officials.
(with entries from AP)
