Former Manchester City striker Mikheil Kavelashvili became President of Georgia on Saturday, as the ruling party tightened its grip in what the Opposition calls a blow to the country’s EU aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia.

Kavelashvili, 53, was the only candidate on the ballot and easily won the vote given the Georgian Dream party’s control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. It is made up of members of parliament, municipal councils and regional legislatures.

Georgian Dream retained control of parliament in the South Caucasus nation in an October 26 election that the Opposition alleges was rigged with Moscow’s help. Georgia’s outgoing President and main pro-western parties have since boycotted parliamentary sessions and demanded a rerun of the ballot.

Georgian Dream has vowed to continue pushing towards EU accession but also wants to “reset” ties with Russia. In 2008 Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow’s recognition of two breakaway regions as independent.

Kavelashvili was elected to parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream ticket and in 2022 co-founded the People’s Power political movement, which was allied with Georgian Dream and become known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric.

Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring organisations that receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interest of a foreign power”.

New York Times News Service