Politics New president elected in Georgia despite protests
A new president has been elected in the South Caucasus republic of Georgia despite weeks of protests. Ex-footballer Mikhail Kavelashvili was voted in by 224 members of an electoral body, with one vote cast being invalid, according to Georgian media reports citing the Central Election Commission. There were no opposing candidates. Kavelashvili had been nominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party.
14.12.2024, 16:01
SDA
Hundreds of demonstrators protested outside parliament, including incumbent Salome Zurabishvili. "Nobody voted for anyone. Nothing has happened," said the president, according to media reports. She had already declared that she saw herself as the only legitimate president. She described the new election as a "parody".
This is the first time that the head of state has not been chosen directly, but by an electoral body made up of members of parliament and regional deputies. The Georgian Dream amended the constitution accordingly in 2017. The opposition has already declared that it will not recognize the election.
Zurabishvili sees election as a "parody"
Their representatives had not accepted the mandates won in the disputed parliamentary election at the end of October. As a result, there were fewer than the 300 people's representatives actually scheduled to be present in the electoral body. 200 votes were needed to win the election on Saturday.
Zurabishvili recalled that Georgia had been granted EU accession candidate status exactly one year ago. "It was a day of consensus, joy among the population and great emotion!" she wrote on Platform X, accusing the ruling party of having established a "repressive authoritarian regime".
Congratulations from Azerbaijan and the head of government
Following the announcement of Kavelashvili's victory, the president of the neighboring state of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, promptly congratulated him. At a press conference, Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also congratulated the former footballer Kavelashvili on his election. "For more than 20 years, Georgia has not had a patriotic, morally and psychologically balanced person as president," he said in a statement. The election of Kavelashvili will therefore be a turning point for the country. His predecessor Zurabishvili was also supported by Georgian Dream when she was elected in 2018.
In view of the poorly attended protests during the election process, the Prime Minister spoke of a defeat for the opposition. "The radical opposition first lost the elections and then the streets," wrote the head of government. Opposition parties and non-governmental organizations were no longer even able to get 2,000 people to take to the streets. "This is their real situation, which is very good for our country. In Georgia, the "Maidan" has failed and will never succeed," Kobakhidze claimed. A short time later, a demonstration of several thousand anti-government protesters marched through the city center.
Ever since the parliamentary elections were overshadowed by allegations of fraud, people in Georgia have regularly demonstrated against the ruling party. The protests reached a new level more than two weeks ago following Kobakhidze's declaration that he would not enter into EU accession negotiations until the end of 2028. Critics fear that this also has to do with Russia's influence. Police and demonstrators engaged in street battles, there were injuries and several hundred arrests, including opposition politicians. There were accusations of police violence and torture.
From footballer to anti-Western politician and head of state
The 53-year-old Kavelashvili has been a member of the Georgian parliament since 2016. Before that, he was a footballer for various clubs at home and abroad - including briefly for Manchester City and several clubs in Switzerland. He entered parliament with the Georgian Dream and later founded the anti-Western offshoot Force of the People with others, which has also been registered as a party since this year. The group initiated the second attempt at the controversial law against alleged foreign influence. Despite mass protests, Georgian Dream pushed through the Russian-style law in May.
"Honesty, justice, patriotism and loyalty to principles are the qualities that characterize Mikhail Kavelashvili," said party founder and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili about Kavelashvili after the nomination. He is the embodiment of the Georgian man.
Due to the majority in the election committee, there was no doubt about the appointment of the head of state. "It is therefore clear that the candidate supported by Georgian Dream will hold the office of President of Georgia," Ivanishvili said at the time.
