After a comedian in Ukraine, a footballer in Georgia? Mikhail Kavelashvili, a former international footballer who notably played for Manchester City, should become the new Georgian president on December 14, 2024. The 53-year-old man was in fact nominated by the Georgian Dream party for the presidential post. His appointment is almost certain since the party has a majority within the electoral college responsible for appointing the president, reports the BBC .
After wearing out his crampons at Dinamo Tbilisi, the striker joined the prestigious English club Manchester City during the 1995-96 season. Mikhail Kavelashvili then scored three goals in 28 matches. At the end of this 95-96 season, Manchester City was relegated and the player was loaned to the Swiss club Grasshoppers until 1999. It was with the Helvetians that he would continue and end his football career.
The start of her career in politics dates back to 2016. According to Euronews this year was marked by his election as a deputy to Parliament under the label of the Georgian Dream alliance party, the majority in the country since 2012. In 2022, the former sportsman founded his own party: Power to the People.
According to our colleagues, this group described as populist has become known for its virulent anti-Western rhetoric, accusing foreigners of fueling the “radicalization and polarization” in Georgia and accusing current President Salomé Zourabichvili of having violated the Constitution. Kavelashvili is also one of the authors of the “Foreign Agents” bill which was modeled on Russia and whose adoption led to the suspension in June by the European Union of the membership application process for Georgia.
An extremely tense climate
Having become openly pro-Russian from 2021, the Georgian Dream party retained its majority in Parliament during the elections of October 26. This vote was considered a referendum on the desire or not to pursue the project of accession to the European Union. Its result, which placed Georgian Dream in the lead, was considered rigged by the opposition, which decided to boycott the new Parliament. The president, for her part, rejected the official results and did not recognize the legislature.
It is therefore in this climate of great tension, with proven cases of corruption, ballot stuffing and physical violence, that Mikhail Kavelashvili should be appointed on December 14. In a recent speech, pro-Russian Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, accused of weighing heavily on the Georgian Dream party, presented Mikhail Kavelashvili as “one of the most eminent members of our political team” and greeted him “significant contribution to protecting the national interests of Georgia and strengthening the sovereignty of the country”.
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