Mikhail Kavelashvili is elected president of Georgia after a vote boycotted by the opposition

The ruling party Mikhail Kavelashvili was elected president of Georgia this Saturday during a parliamentary session marked by the opposition boycott. The Central Electoral Commission of the Caucasian country reported that Kavelashvili obtained the support of 224 of the 300 national and municipal deputies present at the vote, becoming the new head of state.

Kavelashvili replaces Salomé Zurabishvili, who holds the presidency on an interim basis, but refuses to give up the position. Zurabishvili, who belongs to the opposition, does not recognize the legitimacy of the current Parliament, which emerged from the last parliamentary elections held in October. The acting president considers that the electoral process was marked by irregularities.