Tbilisi, Dec 14 (EFE).– Former soccer star Mikheil Kavelashvili was elected president of Georgia on Saturday in a controversial parliamentary vote boycotted by the opposition, according to the country’s Central Electoral Commission.
Kavelashvili, a ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party member, secured 224 votes out of 300 national and municipal lawmakers in the electoral college, easily surpassing the 200-vote threshold required to win.
His election strengthens the GD’s grip on power in a country grappling with political instability.
He succeeds pro-European opposition leader Salomé Zurabishvili, who has refused to vacate her post, denouncing the election as “unconstitutional and illegitimate.”
Zurabishvili’s term officially ends on Dec. 29, but she insists the parliamentary elections in October were fraudulent and the current legislature lacks legitimacy.
Georgia’s political crisis has deepened with this vote, as opposition parties continue to reject the authority of the ruling coalition.
Daily protests in Tbilisi, fueled by dissatisfaction with the government’s suspension of European Union membership talks, have drawn attention to the GD’s pro-Russian policies.
On Saturday, demonstrators gathered outside the parliament building, chanting “Slaves!” and “Russians!” and criticizing Kavelashvili’s lack of higher education as unsuitable for the presidency.
Authorities deployed heavy security around the legislative building, closing nearby streets and stationing trucks with water cannons to prevent clashes.
The election, the first conducted through an electoral college instead of direct popular vote, reflects a significant shift in Georgia’s political system.
Georgian Dream abolished universal suffrage for presidential elections in 2017, cementing its influence over the largely ceremonial role of the presidency.
Kavelashvili, born in 1971, transitioned to politics in 2016 after a celebrated football career that included playing for Manchester City.
As the founder of the People’s Power movement, he championed controversial laws against foreign influence and LGBTQ+ rights, drawing sharp criticism from Western allies and opposition groups, who liken his agenda to Russia’s repressive policies. EFE
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