Mikheil Kavelashvili has been chosen as president of Georgia on Saturday by a 300-seat electoral faculty, which changed direct presidential elections in 2017 and is presently dominated by his social gathering, Georgian Dream.

It was an easy win for Kavelashvili, 53, who was the one candidate on the poll. Although constitutional modifications in Georgia have made the president’s job largely ceremonial, it signifies a tightening of Georgian Dream’s grip in what the opposition has referred to as a blow to the nation’s EU aspirations and a victory for Russia.

It has been an unlikely path to the presidency for Kavelashvili, who emerged from Dinamo Tblisi’s youth system as a promising younger footballer in 1989. He went on to construct a profitable profession as a striker, changing into a daily for his native staff earlier than shifting to Russian aspect Spartak Vladikavkaz in 1995.

He then joined English aspect Manchester Metropolis for 2 seasons earlier than taking part in for a number of totally different Swiss Tremendous League groups and retiring in 2006. Throughout his taking part in profession, he amassed 46 appearances for the Georgian nationwide staff and scored 9 targets.

Simply 10 years after his retirement from the soccer world, he was elected to Georgia’s parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream ticket. In 2022, he co-founded the Individuals’s Energy political motion, which was allied with Georgian Dream and have become identified for its sturdy anti-western rhetoric.

Kavelashvili has typically been mocked by the opposition in Georgia for missing larger schooling. On the day of his election as president, protesters exterior the parliament constructing introduced their very own college diplomas, whereas others kicked round footballs.

Kavelashvili was one of many authors of a controversial legislation requiring organisations that obtain greater than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as “pursuing the curiosity of a overseas energy,” just like a Russian legislation used to discredit organizations vital of the federal government.

Talking in parliament after his nomination in November, Kavelashvili stated “Our society is split,” claiming that “radicalisation and polarisation” within the nation is being fuelled from overseas.

He accused pro-western outgoing president Zourabichvili, who has stated she is going to refuse to vacate her place till a brand new election is held, of violating the structure and declared that he would “restore the presidency to its constitutional framework.”