Former footballer elected Georgian president
Mikheil Kavelashvili (Photo: facebook.com_MikheilKavelashviliOfficial)
Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former football player, has been elected president of Georgia by the electoral college. He was the sole candidate put forward by the ruling party, Georgian Dream, Echo of the Caucasus reports.
For the first time, Georgia elected its president not through traditional citizen voting, but via an electoral college, where the majority is held by the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party.
Kavelashvili was the only candidate for the presidency nominated by "Georgian Dream." He secured 224 votes, with one spoiled ballot.
Kavelashvili is one of the leaders of the formally separate group "People’s Power." He was a member of the Georgian Parliament in its IX and X convocations. During the last elections, held on October 26, Kavelashvili entered Parliament as number 18 on the "Georgian Dream" list.
He is a veteran footballer who played for Tbilisi's "Lokomotiv," Russia's "Spartak-Alania," "Manchester City," and Swiss clubs, and was a member of Georgia's national football team.
Kavelashvili's inauguration is scheduled for December 29.
Meanwhile, protests continue in Georgia. Demonstrators gathered near the Parliament building to dispute the legitimacy of the election. After Kavelashvili's victory was announced, protesters lit flares.
A separate rally was also held in Tbilisi today, organized by the mothers of individuals detained by law enforcement during earlier protests.
The current president of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, declared she does not recognize the election results and stated she will remain in the presidential palace.
