Mikheil Kavelashvili Elected as President by College of GD MPs and Local Councilors

In a move that further widens Georgia’s deepening political divisions, former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili was elected President of Georgia on December 14. Kavelashvili secured the position after garnering 224 votes from the college comprising of the all-GD legislature and local councilors. The session took place against the backdrop of public protests outside the Parliament building, where demonstrators labeled the process as illegitimate and “a farce.”

Kavelashvili’s was the only candidate for the post, nominated on November 27 by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the ruling party’s honorary chairman and unofficial patron. The nomination has sparked widespread controversy. Critics have highlighted that Kavelashvili has no higher education diploma and a glaring qualification gap. However, Ivanishvili claimed Kavelashvili “best embodies the Georgian man.”

A co-founder of the ruling party’s People’s Power faction, Kavelashvili is known for his staunch anti-Western rhetoric, particularly targeting the United States.

Not everyone in GD was on board. Ada Marshania, a member of the Supreme Council of Abkhazia, openly criticized the decision, calling for a “better candidate.” In a scathing address during the session, Marshania warned that nominating Kavelashvili had damaged both the ruling party and the country.

President Salome Zurabishivli a day earlier, during her address said that the new president’s “illegitimate, unconstitutional” elections are “a travesty” that “has no connection with any political process.” President Zurabishvili said this was an insult to Georgian traditions, history, and culture and that it was “unacceptable.” She expressed her determination to remain in the country as “the only [remaining] legitimate institution.”

Her condemnation of the process has resonated with the opposition and international observers. Marko Mihkelson, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, reaffirmed on December 12 Zurabishvili’s position as Georgia’s only legitimate leader.

The opposition has strongly condemned Kavelashvili’s planned election, accusing GD of orchestrating a “constitutional coup” on Ivanishvili’s orders. Opposition leaders argue that the ruling party’s actions are driving Georgia further away from European integration, a core national aspiration. “Salome Zurabishvili remains Georgia’s President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and the country’s highest representative in foreign relations,” opposition forces declared on December 12, dismissing the current parliament as illegitimate.

Also Read:

• 13/12/2024 – President Zurabishvili Ridicules Kavelashvili’s Planned Election, Asks Mayor to Move Christmas Event
• 13/12/2024 – GD Parliament Removes President Zurabishvili’s Protection Detail
• 13/12/2024 – “People’s Power” Stages Move into “Opposition”
• 25/11/2024 – “Georgian Dream” Usurps Power

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)