Mikhail Kavalashvili, Former Football Player, Elected President of Georgia

Mikhail Kavalashvili, a former football player, has been elected as the President of Georgia; an election that observers describe as a "victory" for Russia and a "blow" to the ideals of the European Union. In response to this election, the current President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, sent a message to the people stating, "I remain your president. The parliament lacks legitimacy." The 53-year-old Kavalashvili was easily elected because the "Georgian Dream" party controls the 300-member electoral commission that has replaced direct presidential elections since 2017. The "Georgian Dream" party retained control of the parliament in the elections held on October 26 this year; an election that the opposition claims was "fraudulent" with the help of Moscow. Since then, the current President of Georgia and the main pro-Western parties have boycotted parliamentary sessions and called for new elections. The "Georgian Dream" party has promised to continue its push for EU membership but also seeks to "reset" relations with Russia. In 2008, Russia launched a brief war with Georgia, which ultimately led to the recognition of two breakaway regions of the country as independent and an increase in Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Critics have accused the "Georgian Dream" party of increasing authoritarianism and alignment with Moscow; accusations that the ruling party has denied. Recently, this party passed laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to suppress freedom of expression and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. The "Georgian Dream" nominated Kavalashvili for the presidency; an action that has been mocked by opponents due to his lack of higher education. He has played as a striker in the Premier League for Manchester City and at several clubs in the Swiss Super League. Kavalashvili was one of the authors of the controversial "foreign agents" law, which required organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents"; similar to a law in Russia used to discredit government critics. The European Union, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on the condition that the country adheres to the recommendations of this bloc, halted the country's accession to the union and cut its financial support in June after the "foreign agents" law was passed. Who is the current president? Salome Zourabichvili, 72, whose presidential term ends on December 16, just two days from now, was born in France to parents of Georgian descent. She had a successful career in the French Foreign Ministry before being appointed as Georgia's senior diplomat by then-President Mikheil Saakashvili in 2004. Constitutional changes, prior to Zourabichvili's election in 2018 with the support of the "Georgian Dream" party, rendered the president's role largely ceremonial. She increasingly criticized the ruling party, which made an unsuccessful attempt to impeach her. Despite Kavalashvili's election as the new president, Zourabichvili wrote on social media that "I remain your president. The parliament lacks legitimacy and therefore there is no legitimate election or swearing-in ceremony. My mission continues." How did the opposition protests form? Thousands of protesters gathered every night after the government announced the suspension of negotiations for EU membership on November 28, in front of the parliament building. Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse the protesters and beat many of them. Hundreds were arrested and more than 100 were treated for injuries. Several journalists were beaten by police, and government media workers were accused of using thugs to deter people from participating in anti-government rallies; an accusation that the "Georgian Dream" party denies. The crackdown on protests has drawn severe condemnation from U.S. and EU officials.