Georgia’s Political Crisis Intensifies with Former Footballer’s Presidential Appointment

Georgia’s contested parliament has named Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former Manchester City footballer, as president, following 17 days of pro-European Union demonstrations across the nation’s towns and cities. Kavelashvili, aged 53, previously served as an MP for the governing Georgian Dream party, which is described as increasingly authoritarian, and ran unopposed for the position. On Saturday, 224 of the 225 members of Georgia’s electoral college cast their votes in his favor. However, the four primary opposition factions have disavowed Kavelashvili and are boycotting parliamentary proceedings, asserting that the October elections were fraudulent. Ahead of the vote, substantial numbers of demonstrators braved freezing temperatures to assemble outside parliament starting in the early hours of Saturday morning. Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia’s outgoing pro-Western president, denounced Kavelashvili’s election as a “travesty,” maintaining that her office represents the country’s sole legitimate institution still standing. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has accused President Zourabichvili of attempting to undermine Georgia’s interests, noting that her term concludes on December 29, at which point she will be required to step down. He was quoted on Friday stating, “We have very strong state institutions, so we certainly have no difficulty in bringing the situation under full control.” Nino Tsilosani, a colleague from the same party, informed reporters that Zourabichvili was no longer perceived as president by the public. Georgia operates as a parliamentary democracy, where the president serves as the head of state and the prime minister leads the Parliament. Demonstrations against the Georgian Dream party commenced directly following the October elections, but intensified significantly on November 28 after the government declared a suspension of EU accession negotiations until 2028. The country’s aspiration to join the European Union is supported by an overwhelming majority of Georgians and is enshrined in the constitution. Each evening, the primary thoroughfare outside parliament is filled with demonstrators displaying EU flags and calling for new elections. On the eve of the vote, the capital city of Tbilisi experienced widespread spontaneous protests involving IT specialists, public sector employees, creative industry professionals, actors, and lawyers. “We are standing here to create a legal state once and for all, to respect the provisions of the constitution and human rights,” stated 47-year-old lawyer Davit Kikaleishvili. Kavelashvili co-founded the People’s Power party, which is recognized as the primary proponent of anti-Western rhetoric in Georgia. He has characterized opposition parties as a “fifth column” operating under foreign direction and referred to President Zourabichvili as a “chief agent.” Kavelashvili transitioned into politics following his disqualification from pursuing the leadership of the Georgian football federation due to insufficient qualifications. While his party participated in the October elections alongside Georgian Dream, it has now opted to function as a “healthy opposition” within parliament, aiming to occupy the space left by the “so-called radical opposition funded by foreign forces.” Guram Macharashvili, an MP from the People’s Power party who declared on December 13 that his faction would depart from the ruling parliamentary majority, informed the BBC that the country was experiencing an “artificially created crisis characterised by the influence of foreign powers.” Macharashvili and Kavelashvili are credited with devising Georgia’s contentious “foreign agents” law, which the nation’s opposition views as legislation akin to Russia’s. When questioned about the meaning of “healthy opposition,” Macharashvili responded: “Opposition does not necessarily mean opposition on all issues, it does not mean only cooperation with foreigners. It means competition with the ruling party to make better proposals on what’s best for Georgia’s future.” The Georgian Dream party, established by billionaire businessman and former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, faces accusations of steering the country back into Russia’s sphere of influence. Both the European Union and the United States have criticized the government for a decline in democratic standards, and Transparency International reports that over the last two weeks, more than 460 individuals have been arrested throughout Georgia. The organization further states that over 300 individuals, including numerous Georgian media personnel, have been subjected to ill-treatment or torture. Footage from last weekend showed assailants attacking a television reporter and cameraman. The EU has denounced the “brutal, unlawful force from the police,” and foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss potential measures against the government during their meeting on Monday. The U.S. State Department has already implemented visa restrictions targeting Georgian officials, including government ministers and police personnel. Demonstrators have urged the international community to levy sanctions against senior government officials and Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is considered Georgia’s most influential figure. Concurrently, pro-government factions have conducted a harassment campaign against civil society activists, involving assaults outside their residences and arbitrary detentions. Former public rights defender Nino Lomjaria stated, “There is systematic torture, inhuman and degrading treatment of citizens.” Theatre workers participating in the protests on Friday chanted, “The police are everywhere, justice is nowhere.”