far-right and anti-Western candidate Mikhail Kavelashvili elected President of the Republic in a controversial vote

The former footballer was the only name proposed to the electoral college, which voted in the absence of the opposition parties.

An unsurprising result. Anti-Western candidate Mikhail Kavelashvili, the only name in the running, was elected President of the Republic of Georgia at the age of 53 by the electoral college on Saturday December 14. He received 224 votes out of the 225 cast, during a vote largely boycotted by the oppositions. A demonstration has been underway since Saturday morning in front of Parliament, where the vote took place. Former footballer, known for his nationalist and anti-LGBT positions, Mikhail Kavelashvili also distinguished himself during his time in Parliament with fiery speeches against the opposition.

After his sporting career, he became a players' agent and unsuccessfully tried to become president of the Georgian Football Federation. It was in 2016 that he entered politics as a deputy for Tbilisi under the colors of the ruling Georgian Dream party. He then took charge of the Parliament's sports and youth committee.

Re-elected in 2020, he left his political family to co-found the far-right People's Power party two years later. Considered an offshoot of the Georgian Dream party, this anti-Western faction is notably at the origin of the controversial law on “foreign influence”, inspired by repressive Russian legislation and adopted in May. Mikhail Kavelashvili retained his seat as a deputy after the criticized legislative elections of October 2024.