A former Manchester City star became president of Georgia on Saturday, despite the controversial nature of his takeover.
Mikheil Kavelashvili, who scored three times in 28 games for City between 1995 and 1997, has taken on the role following October's elections.
He was elected to parliament in 2016 as part of the right-wing Georgian Dream party and in 2022 he co-founded the political movement People's Power, which was linked to Georgian Dream and has become known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric.
In the October elections, the Georgian Dream party retained control of parliament and they subsequently nominated Kavelashvili as their candidate to become president.
The 53-year-old easily won a vote on Saturday to confirm his ascension, given the Georgian Dream party's control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017.
However, the election was hugely controversial, amid opposition accusations that the Georgian Dream, considered pro-Russian, had manipulated the vote with the help of the Kremlin.
Opposition parties have even claimed that Kavelashvili's accession is a victory for Russia, along with a blow to the country's European aspirations.
They have since boycotted parliamentary sessions and demanded new elections, with mass protests across the country against Georgian Dream in recent months.
These were reinforced when the government announced that EU accession negotiations would be postponed until 2028, with the majority of Georgians in favor of the country joining the EU.
Georgian Dream has stressed its determination to continue pursuing EU accession, but also wants to 'reset' ties with Russia.
In 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, leading to Moscow's recognition of two breakaway regions as independent, and an increase in Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Critics have accused Georgian Dream – founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia – of becoming increasingly authoritarian and focused on Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied.
The party recently passed laws similar to those of the Kremlin to address freedom of expression and LGBTQ+ rights.
Georgia's outgoing pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili has labeled Kalelashvilli's election a “mockery” and claims she does not recognize the outcome and will remain in office until real elections take place.
“I remain your president – there is no legitimate parliament and therefore no legitimate election or inauguration,” she recently declared on X. “My mandate remains.”
Meanwhile, speaking to The Associated Press, Zourabichvili rejected government claims that the opposition is inciting violence.
“We are not demanding a revolution,” Zourabichvili said. “We call for new elections, but under conditions that ensure that the will of the people is not misrepresented or stolen again.
“Georgia has always resisted Russian influence and will not accept having its vote stolen and its destiny stolen,” she said.
However, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, a representative of Georgian Dream, accused Zourabichvili of trying to harm the country's interests and told her to leave her post.
Meanwhile, in addition to his time in the Premier League with City, Kavelashvili played as a striker for several clubs in the Swiss Super League.
The 53-year-old is best remembered for his goal on his City debut against Manchester United in April 1996.
The Citizens, then managed by Alan Ball, suffered a 3-2 defeat at Maine Road weeks before being relegated from the Premier League.
Kavelashvili scored twice more for City in the First Division as they finished 14th in the second tier, but did not play enough games to renew his work permit.
He was loaned to Swiss club Grasshoppers and left permanently the following summer.
The former striker is the latest in a series of former footballers seeking public office in Georgia. Former AC Milan defender Kakha Kaladze, who won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007, has been mayor of the capital Tbilisi since 2017.
Former Schalke and Hertha Berlin defender Levan Kobiashvili also sits in the Georgian parliament.
City, for whom compatriot Georgi Kinkladze had been a hit after signing in the summer of 1995, gambled on Kavelashvili to save them from collapse when he was signed from Dinamo Tbilisi on transfer deadline day.
Despite gaining seven points from their last three games, they were relegated on goal difference, having failed to recover from taking just two points from their first eleven.
Meanwhile, Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law that requires organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power,” similar to a Russian law used to organizations that are critical of the government.
The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on the condition that the country meets the bloc's recommendations, suspended accession and cut financial aid in June after passing the 'foreign influence' law .
Thousands of protesters gathered at the parliament building every evening after the government announced the suspension of EU accession negotiations on November 28.
Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat dozens of protesters. Some of them threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the capital's central boulevard.
Hundreds were arrested and more than a hundred were treated for injuries. Several journalists were beaten by police and media workers accused authorities of using thugs to stop people from attending anti-government rallies, which Georgian Dream denies.
The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from the United States and EU officials.
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