The Georgian government elects the right-wing extremist former football player as president

CNN
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Georgian MPs elected a far-right former soccer star as the country’s next president on Saturday, ratcheting up tensions between the pro-Russian government and the pro-Western opposition as popular anger over their decision to halt European Union accession negotiations , increased.

Mikheil Kavelashvili, 53, is a former MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and played for English football team Manchester City in the 1990s. He was the only candidate in the race.

For the first time, the president was elected not through a national election, but in Parliament through direct voting by a 300-member electoral college of MPs and local government representatives. With the four largest opposition groups boycotting parliament since October’s disputed election, Kavelashvili was a candidate for victory.

A total of 225 voters were present for the vote, of which 224 voted for Kavelashvili, who was the only candidate nominated, Reuters reported. It will be inaugurated on December 29th, the news agency said. Georgian presidents hold largely ceremonial powers.

Kavelashvili is a persistent critic of the West and his upcoming presidency will undoubtedly exacerbate divisions between pro-Kremlin forces and pro-EU protesters, many of whom have been camping in Tbilisi for 16 nights following the government’s decision to halt talks on joining the EU.

Tensions have been brewing for months in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people. Critics accuse the ruling Georgian Dream party of pursuing increasingly authoritarian, pro-Russian policies in a move away from the West that has dampened hopes for Georgia’s long-promised path to EU membership.

Georgian Prime Minister Iraqi Kobakhidze congratulated Kavelashvili at a briefing after the vote, while also describing outgoing President Salome Zurabishvili as an “agent” of unspecified foreign powers, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, Zurabichvili, a pro-Western politician who has joined opposition protesters, said the presidential election was “a mockery of democracy.” Before the vote, she vowed to stay in office despite the result, insisting that she holds the only legitimate institution left in Georgia.

“I’m here and I’ll stay – by everyone’s side!” said Zourabichvili late on Friday.

It is not clear how Georgian Dream will react if Zurabishvili refuses to resign from office. In an interview with CNN in October, Zourabichvili downplayed fears for her safety, saying her future was “not as important as the future of Georgia.”

Critics questioned Kavelashvili’s competence for the role, pointing to his sporting rather than political background. He entered politics in 2016 after being disqualified from running for the leadership of the Georgian Football Association due to his lack of higher education.

Natalie Sabanadze, Georgia’s former ambassador to the EU, told CNN that Kavelashvili was “absolutely not qualified” and that his election would be seen by many Georgians as an “insult to the country.”

“This was not only the nomination of a puppet who obviously cannot think for himself, but I think it was also a signal to Europe that … we will have a president who is completely contrary to Western values,” Sabanadze said.

Georgia has slipped into crisis since a disputed election in October. Georgian Dream – already in office for 12 years – claimed victory, but observers say the vote was neither free nor fair. The European Parliament has called for a repeat.

Although Prime Minister Iraqi Kobakhidze had previously claimed that his party was committed to joining the EU, he announced on November 28 that his government would suspend accession negotiations with the EU, which around 80% of Georgians support joining.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s relations with the EU have deteriorated sharply in recent months as Brussels claimed the government had resorted to authoritarian measures and adopted a pro-Russian stance.

Pro-EU Georgian citizens have demonstrated in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi every night since November 28, despite police and masked “special forces” carrying out a series of violent acts against dozens of protesters. CNN reached out to the country’s Interior Ministry for comment on the alleged brutality of the masked forces but received no response.

Georgia’s Interior Ministry said more than 150 officers were injured during the protests, Reuters reported.

Protesters took to the streets for a 17th day early Saturday. Some were seen kicking soccer balls and appearing to mock Kavelashvili’s expected appointment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.