Who is Mikheil Kavelashvili? Former football star named as Georgia's new president

Former football star and far-right politician Mikheil Kavelashvili was appointed Georgia’s new president as political tensions reached an all-time high

Georgia's new President-elect Mikheil Kavelashvili. File Image: AP

Georgia’s political crisis deepened after lawmakers elected far-right former football star Mikheil Kavelashvili as the country’s new president. Kavelashvili’s fate was sealed on Saturday amid brewing tensions between the pro-Russian government and pro-Western opposition. In recent weeks, the country has witnessed major protests after the ruling party halted the European Union accession talks.

The 53-year-old was the former MP for the ruling Georgian Dream party and played football in the 1990s for Manchester City. Kavelashvili was the only candidate vying for the post of president after the intense election in the country. What makes Kavelashvili’s appointment interesting is the fact that this is for the first time the president was chosen not by a national election, but in parliament by a direct ballot of a 300-member electoral college made up of MPs and representatives of local government.

Since four of the country’s main opposition boycotted the parliament because of the disputed elections in October, Kavelashvili’s nomination remained unchallenged. According to CNN, a total of 225 electors were present for the Saturday voting, out of which 224 voted for Kavelashvili. He will assume the office after an inaugural ceremony scheduled to take place on December 29. It is pertinent to note that the role of the president of Georgia is mostly a ceremonial one.

Who is Mikheil Kavelashvili?

Kavelashvili rose from the Dinamo Tbilisi’s youth system as a promising young footballer in 1989. He eventually built a successful career as a striker, becoming a regular for his local team before moving to Russian side Spartak Vladikavkaz in 1995. He later joined Manchester City for two seasons before playing for several different Swiss Super League teams. Kavelashvili bid goodbye to football in 2006.

During his football career, Kavelashvili had amassed 46 appearances for the Georgian national team and scored nine goals. Ten years after retiring from football, Kavelashvili was elected to the Georgian parliament in 2016. In 2022, he co-founded the People’s Power political movement, which was allied with Georgian Dream and became known for its strong anti-western stance.

In the past, Kavelashvili has often been mocked by the opposition for lacking higher education. On the day the former football star was appointed for the presidential post, protesters outside the parliament building brought their own university diplomas, while others kicked around footballs.

Interestingly, Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interest of a foreign power.” The legislation was similar to a Russian law used to discredit organizations critical of the government.

Georgia’s political climate remains turbulent

Tensions have been brewing for months in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people, where many critics of the Dream Party accused the group of establishing an authoritarian regime and inclining towards Russia. This has tampered hopes for Georgia’s long-promised path to EU membership.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, congratulated Kavelashvili at a briefing following the vote. However, during the same briefing, he described the outgoing president, Salome Zourabichvili, as an “agent” of unspecified foreign powers, Reuters reported. Zourabichvili, on the other hand, has joined the opposition protesters and said that the Saturday presidential vote has made “a mockery of democracy.”

In the past, Zourabichvili vowed to stay in office, despite the election results. “I’m here and will remain – standing together with everyone!” Zourabichvili said late Friday, hours before the presidential vote. Hence, it is still unclear how the Dream Party will respond if Zourabichvili refuses to leave office.