Georgia Has Now Named A Far-Right Footballer As Its New President And Thousands Of People Are Protesting
Mikheil Kavelashvili. a former professional football player, was the only candidate on the ballot after opposition parties boycotted the vote.
After the pro-Russia party won the election in Georgia for the fourth time in a row, the party has now elected a far-right former football player as its new president, sparking widespread protests.
A former professional football player, Mikheil Kavelashvili is known for his far-right and anti-LGBTQ views.
In 2022, he co-founded the anti-West People's Power party, which is considered to be a proxy of the ruling Georgian Dream party, where Kavelashvili previously served as a member of parliament since 2016.
Kavelashvili was also one of the authors of the controversial "foreign influence" law that the country passed in May despite mass protests.
The law would require media, non-governmental and non-profit organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “carrying the interests of a foreign power”, which is similar to a law Russia passed in 2012 that allowed it to crack down on opposition.
In the presidential election held on Dec. 14, Kavelashvili was the only candidate on the ballot after opposition parties boycotted the vote.
This came after the Georgian Dream party claimed victory in the parliamentary elections, which were marred by widespread reports of electoral fraud.
The results prompted mass protests, as the president, Salome Zourabichvili, and opposition parties rejected the results and urged people to take to the streets to demonstrate against what they say is election fraud and Russian interference.
The EU, US and NATO all called for an investigation.
On Sunday, Dec. 29, Kavelashvili was sworn in as the country’s president in a closed door ceremony, despite Zourabichvili initially refusing to step down.
Zourabichvil, who became president in 2018 with help from Georgian Dream but later split from the party, told her supporters who were gathered outside the presidential palace that she is the only legitimate president.
“I will leave the presidential palace and stand with you, carrying with me the legitimacy, the flag and your trust,” she said.
Calling the election a "Russian special operation," she also called for a re-run, saying it was the only way to resolve the crisis.
However, prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze ruled out holding new elections and threatened her with legal consequences if she didn't step down, according to the Guardian
Tens of thousands of people also gathered outside the parliament to protest Kavelashvili’s inauguration.
Referring to his past as a footballer, they held up “red card”, saying, “The next step will be sending him off the pitch”, a protester told AP.
A scuffle broke out between the protesters and the police, and they briefly detained at least six people near the parliament building, according to local media.
Kavelashvili’s presidency comes only a month after the ruling party suspended talks to join the European Union until 2028 despite 85% of Georgians either fully or somewhat supporting joining the EU.
The decision led to mass protests, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets across the country, waving Georgian and EU flags.
During the protests, more than 400 people were arrested, and many reported being beaten, according to the Guardian.
In his speech after the ceremony, Kavelashvili vowed to be “everyone’s president, regardless of whether they like me or not.”
Critics see Kavelashvili's inauguration as the last step for pro-Russian Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the Georgian Dream Party, to take full control of Georgia.
In addition, supporters of the opposition have said that under Zourabichvili, the presidency was the only administration in the country not controlled by Ivanishvili.
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