Georgia’s ruling party on Wednesday announced the candidacy of former national football player Mikheil Kavelashvili for the post of president. Protests have been ongoing in the country since the controversial results of last month’s parliamentary elections, with the opposition boycotting parliament.
The Georgian Dream party has chosen 53- year- old Kavelashvili as its candidate for the largely ceremonial presidential post. The 300- member Electoral College, which the ruling party controls, makes his victory in the December 14 election a certainty.
In the parliamentary elections held on October 26, Georgian Dream maintained its dominance of the parliament. The election was considered a public vote decision on the country’s accession bid to the European Union. However, the opposition called the result a fraud, accused Russia of interference and boycotted the parliament.
According to European election observers, the voting environment was tense, with incidents of bribery, double voting and physical violence.
Incumbent President Salome Zourabichvili, whose six- year term ends next month, has rejected the official results of the election. Also, they refused to recognize the new Parliament as valid and avoided attending the Parliament session on Monday.
Zourabichvili will be the last president to be elected directly by the people, as new constitutional changes will require the president to be elected by an electoral college made up of members of parliament, municipal and regional assemblies instead of direct voting.
Kavelashvili’s election is considered almost certain as the Georgian Dream party has a majority in the electoral college.
The ruling party has been accused of becoming more authoritarian by aligning itself with Russia. The party was founded by Russian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. The party has recently passed a number of laws that stifle freedom of expression and limit LGBTQ+ rights.
In June, the European Union indefinitely suspended the process of Georgia’s membership application due to a controversial law passed by the Georgian parliament. According to this law, organizations receiving more than 20% foreign funding must register with organizations “representing the interests of foreign powers”. This law is used in Russia to discredit anti- government organizations. Kavelashvili was the co- author of this law.
On Wednesday, Ivanishvili praised Kavelashvili while presenting his candidacy in parliament, calling him “an important leader who defends national interests and strengthens the country’s sovereignty”.
Kavelashvili played as a striker for Manchester City and the Swiss Super League. In 2016, he was elected to parliament on the Georgian Dream ticket. In 2022, he co- founded a political movement called People’s Power, known for its strong anti- Western stance.
“Our society is divided,” Kavelashvili told parliament. He blamed foreign elements for “extremism and polarization” in the country. Also, accusing Zourabichvili of violating the constitution, he vowed to return the presidency to the constitutional framework.