Mikheïl Kavelashvili, known for his diatribes against critics of power, is officially the only candidate because the opposition refused to sit in Parliament – after the controversial legislative elections in October – and did not propose anyone for these functions.
Aged 53, Mr. Kavelachvili – a former professional football player who played for Manchester City between 1996 and 1999 – is accused by protesters of being a puppet of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia and founded the Dream party Georgian and has been leading Georgia from behind the scenes since 2012.
The former Soviet republic has been going through a period of turmoil since the ruling party claimed victory in parliamentary elections on October 26, and the government decided last month to leave membership negotiations on hold until 2028. to the EU.
In Tbilisi, the main anti-government demonstration has brought together thousands of people every evening in front of Parliament over the past three weeks, coming to denounce alleged electoral fraud and the country’s diversion from the European path.
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“Illegitimate” designation
The current head of state, Salomé Zourabichvili, breaking with the government, said that she would refuse to give up her mandate until new legislative elections had been organized.
On Friday, she said the president’s designation was a “parody” and would be “unconstitutional” and “illegitimate.”
In Georgia, the powers of the head of state are limited and essentially symbolic. But that did not prevent the 72-year-old former French diplomat from becoming one of the voices of the pro-European opposition.
Friday evening, the demonstration in front of the Parliament in Tbilisi took place without disturbances, far from the violent clashes which had marked the first ten days of the movement, launched on November 28.
During the first two weeks of protests, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse daily gatherings of thousands of people. Protesters, for their part, used fireworks against the police.
More than 400 demonstrators were arrested, according to official figures. Police raids led to the seizure of quantities of fireworks and the arrest of several opposition leaders.
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“Threatened”
On Saturday morning, the demonstration in front of Parliament started peacefully, with police only preventing access to the building’s side entrance.
But at the bottom of the avenue, Place de la Liberté, three water cannons and around twenty vehicles stood ready to intervene.
“The police are everywhere (…), it’s snowing, it’s raining, it’s winter. But it’s our country, we will fight for our country,” Natia Aphkhazava, wearing a leopard scarf, told AFP around the face.
Her face also protected by a neck gaiter and a hood, Sofie Kikochvili says she has struggled to sleep in recent weeks.
“Our friends, our loved ones, everyone is threatened now, we can’t really concentrate on work,” laments this 39-year-old lawyer, who had to leave her 11-year-old son alone at home.
But she predicts an application of “terror”, on the part of the authorities, “which will get worse and worse every day if we do not resist now. (…) This is our last survival.”
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