TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – Former soccer player Mikhail Kavelashvili was arrested on Saturday as the ruling party tightens its grip on what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s EU ambitions and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia. He became the president of Georgia.
Kavelashvili, 53, the only candidate on the ballot, is an easy candidate given that the Georgian Dream party controlled the 300-seat electoral college in 2017, replacing direct presidential elections. received votes. The party is made up of members of parliament, city council members, and assembly members. Local council.
Georgian Dream retained a majority in the South Caucasus country’s parliament in an October 26 election, which the opposition claimed was rigged with Moscow’s help. The party has vowed to continue pushing towards EU membership, but also wants to “reset” relations with Russia.
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Georgia’s outgoing president and the main pro-Western political parties boycotted the post-election parliamentary session and demanded a new vote.
In 2008, Russia waged a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow recognizing two breakaway regions as independent and increasing the Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Critics have accused Georgia Dream, founded by shadowy Russian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, of becoming increasingly authoritarian and leaning toward Moscow, an accusation the ruling party has rejected. is denied. The party recently passed legislation similar to those used by the Kremlin to suppress free speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
Pro-Western Salome Zurabichvili has been president since 2018 and vowed on Monday to remain in office after her six-year term ends, calling herself the sole legitimate leader until new elections are held. It states that.
Georgian Dream’s decision last month to cancel talks on its country’s accession to the European Union further angered opponents and sparked protests.
Who is the outgoing president?
Zurabichvili, 72, was born in France to parents with Georgian roots and had a successful career in France’s foreign ministry before President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed her as Georgia’s top diplomat in 2004.
Constitutional changes made the president’s job largely ceremonial until Zurabichvili was elected by popular vote in 2018 with the support of Georgian Dream. She harshly criticized the ruling party and accused it of pro-Russian policies, and Georgia Dream unsuccessfully tried to impeach her.
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“I remain your president. There is no legitimate Congress, so there is no legitimate election or inauguration,” she declared on the social network X. “My mission continues.”
Zurabichvili denies government claims that rebels are inciting violence.
“We are not calling for a revolution,” she told The Associated Press. “We are calling for new elections, but only so that the will of the people is never again misrepresented or stolen.
“Georgia has always resisted Russian influence and will not accept its vote or its destiny to be stolen.”
Zurabichvili called Saturday’s vote a “provocation” and “parody”, and the leader of one of Georgia’s main opposition parties said it was unconstitutional.
Giorgi Vashadze of the United National Movement Union said Zurabichvili was “the only legitimate source of power”.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said Kavelashvili’s victory “will make a significant contribution to strengthening Georgia’s national rights and sovereignty and reducing radicalism and so-called polarization.”
“The main mission of the presidential body is to take care of the unity of the state and society,” said Kobakhidze, a former university professor and later chairman of Georgian Dream.
Who is the ruling party’s presidential candidate?
Georgian Dream nominated Kavelashvili, but he was ridiculed by the Georgian opposition for not having a higher education. Some demonstrators brought university diplomas and others kicked soccer balls outside the parliament building in Tbilisi on Saturday morning.
Kavelashvili is a striker for Manchester City in the English Premier League and played for several football clubs in the Swiss Super League. He was elected to parliament on a Georgian Dream ticket in 2016 and in 2022 co-founded People’s Power, a political movement affiliated with Georgian Dream known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric. .
Kavelashvili said that similar to a Russian law used to discredit organizations critical of the government, organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad are required to register as “promoting the interests of foreign powers.” He was one of the authors of the controversial law mandating it.
The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023, subject to the country meeting regional recommendations, but put membership on hold in June following approval of the “foreign influence” law. Reduced financial support.
How did the opposition protests unfold?
After the government announced the suspension of EU accession negotiations on November 28, thousands of demonstrators gathered at parliament every night.
Riot police have used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and assault large numbers of demonstrators, with some throwing fireworks at police and barricading the capital’s central boulevards. there was. Hundreds of people were detained and more than 100 were treated for injuries.
Several journalists were beaten by police, and media personnel accused authorities of using thugs to prevent people from participating in anti-government rallies, a charge denied by Georgian Dream. The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from US and EU officials.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a video statement Friday supporting the protests that Georgia’s “European dream must not disappear.”
“Europe is not trying to sow chaos, nor is it trying to destabilize or conquer its neighbors,” he said. “The voices of Georgians must be heard and respected.”
“(Kavelashvili) is not our choice. He is controlled by a puppet government, Bidzina Ivanishvili and Putin,” protester Sandro Samkharadze said outside the parliament building in Tbilisi. Another demonstrator waved a placard that read: “We are the children of Europe.”
Demonstrators vowed to continue their rally. “If they (the government) want to go to Russia, they can go to Russia, because we are not going anywhere. We will stay here,” said protester Kato Karatodzishvili.
Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
