Former footballer Mikheil Kaverashvili took office as Georgia’s president on Saturday as the ruling party tightened its grip in what the opposition said was a blow to the country’s aspirations to join the European Union and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia.
With the Georgian Dream party controlling a 300-seat Electoral College and replacing direct presidential elections in 2017, Kaverashvili, 53, easily won the vote.
Georgian Dream retained control of the South Caucasus nation’s parliament in an Oct. 26 election that the opposition said was rigged with help from Moscow. Georgia’s outgoing president and the main pro-Western party have since boycotted parliamentary sessions and demanded a new vote.
Georgian Dream vows to continue pushing for EU membership, but also wants to “reset” relations with Russia.
Russia fought a brief war with Georgia in 2008, leading Moscow to recognize the independence of the two breakaway regions and increase Russia’s military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Critics accuse Georgian Dream – founded by the enigmatic billionaire Bidina Ivanishvili who made her fortune in Russia – of becoming increasingly authoritarian and leaning towards Moscow, but the ruling party denies this accusation.
The party recently pushed for the passage of laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on free speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
Who is Mikhail Kaverashvili?
Kavelashvili, nominated by Georgian Dream, was ridiculed by the opposition for lacking higher education.
He began his career at Georgian top-flight giants Dinamo Tbilisi, winning three Premier League titles with them before moving to Manchester City on transfer deadline day in 1995.
Mikhail Kaverashvili (right) of the FIFA World Stars takes a shot during a match against the Chinese national team in the Unification Cup in Hong Kong on July 1, 2007. Photo credit: AP
Mikhail Kavelashvili (right) of FIFA World Stars takes a shot during the Unification Cup match against the Chinese national team in Hong Kong on July 1, 2007. Photo credit: AP
He scored on his debut against Manchester United and played 24 games in his debut season in England. He was later loaned to Grasshopper Club Zurich and won the league title in 1998.
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Kavelashvili represented the Georgian national team in 46 appearances and scored 9 goals.
Kavelashvili’s political career
In 2016, he was elected to parliament in the name of “Georgian Dream” and in 2022 he co-founded the People Power political movement, which is aligned with “Georgian Dream” and is known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric.
Kavelashvili is one of the authors of a controversial law that requires organizations with more than 20% of their funding coming from abroad to register as “pursuing the interests of foreign powers,” similar to what Russia uses to smear critics of the government The laws of the organization.
Georgian President-elect Mikheil Kavelashvili was welcomed by members of the Electoral College at the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi, Georgia. |Photo credit: AP
Georgian President-elect Mikheil Kavelashvili was welcomed by members of the Electoral College at the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi, Georgia. |Photo credit: AP
The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on the condition that the country met EU recommendations, but in June it shelved Georgia’s accession and cut financial support after the approval of a “foreign influence” law.
After the government announced the suspension of EU accession negotiations on November 28, thousands of demonstrators gathered at the Parliament Building every night.
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Riot police have used water cannon and tear gas to disperse and beat dozens of protesters on an almost daily basis, some of whom threw fireworks at police and set up barricades on the capital’s central avenue.
Hundreds of people were detained and more than 100 were injured and treated.
Several journalists were beaten by police and media staff accused authorities of using thugs to prevent people from attending anti-government rallies, something Georgian Dream denied.
The crackdown was strongly condemned by U.S. and EU officials.
(With input from The Associated Press)
