The Electoral Body in its parliament appointed the far-right ex-footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili, a man loyal to .
Protesters in front of Parliament
Protest against football player running for president
🎞️Lela Javaxishvili— Samira Bayramova 🇬🇪 🇪🇺 🇺🇸 (@SamBayramova)
Kavelashvili was officially the only candidate, as the opposition refused to take its seats in parliament – after the disputed parliamentary elections in October – and did not propose any candidacy for the office. The 53-year-old far-right is accused by protesters of being a puppet of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made a fortune in Russia, founded the Georgian Dream party and has ruled Georgia behind the scenes since 2012.
The ruling Georgian Dream party’s move to freeze Georgia’s EU accession process until 2028, suddenly blocking the realization of a long-term national goal enshrined in the country’s Constitution, has caused a stir, as opinion polls show that in favor the majority of the electorate is in favor of joining the European Union.
After today’s development, the crisis in Georgia may escalate. On Saturday morning, a rally was held in front of the parliament, while in the capital of the country, Tbilisi (Tbilisi), the main anti-government demonstration gathers thousands of people every night, as it did tonight, in that place, during the last three weeks.
Tbilisi right now
— Mariam Geguchadze (@mariamgegu)
The acting head of state, who has limited and mostly symbolic powers but is at loggerheads with the government and supports the protests, has said she will refuse to hand over her power until new parliamentary elections are held. The 72-year-old former official of France’s diplomatic corps, who has emerged as one of the voices of the pro-European opposition, said at a press conference yesterday, Friday, that today’s appointment of the president is a “parody” and is “unconstitutional” and “illegal”.
The head of state used to be directly elected, but Georgian Dream revised the Constitution in 2017 to allow the Electoral College, made up of members of parliament and regional representatives, to determine the winner. The ruling party plans to hold the swearing-in ceremony of the new president on December 29.
