The governing party in Georgia on Wednesday picked a former footballer as its candidate for the country’s new president following its controversial election victory that has sparked protests and led to the opposition parties’ boycott of the parliament.
The Georgian Dream party nominated Mikheil Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former national team member and Premier League player to the job of the country’s mostly ceremonial president.
He is all but certain to win the Dec. 14 vote by the electoral college controlled by the ruling party.
Georgian Dream retained control of the parliament in the Oct. 26 election that the opposition said was rigged under the Russian influence.
European election observers said the balloting took place in a “divisive” atmosphere marked by instances of bribery, double voting and physical violence.
Georgian Dream has a majority in the college, making the approval of Kavelashvili’s candidacy all but certain.
Kavelashvili, who was a striker who played in the Premier League for Manchester City and in the Swiss Super League for several clubs, was elected to the parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream ticket.
In 2022, he has co-founded the People’s Power political movement, which has become known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric.
“Our society is divided,” Kavelashvili said in parliament, charging that “radicalization and polarization” in the country has been fueled from abroad.
He accused Zourabichvili of violating the constitution and declared that he will “restore the presidency to its constitutional framework.”
