Georgian former footballer Kavelashvili elected as President by lawmakers

Georgia’s ruling party on Saturday installed a far-right loyalist as the country’s president in a controversial election process amid a constitutional crisis and after weeks of mass pro-EU protests.

An electoral college, controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party and boycotted by the opposition, elected Mikheil Kavelashvili with 224 votes as the country’s next figurehead leader for a five-year term, central election commission chair Giorgi Kalandarishvili said.

The sitting president Salome Zurabishvili has declared the vote “illegitimate” and refused to step down.

Protests

The Black Sea nation has been in turmoil since the governing Georgian Dream party claimed victory in contested October parliamentary elections.

Its decision last month to delay European Union membership talks ignited a fresh wave of mass rallies.

The opposition has denounced Saturday’s election as “illegitimate” and said sitting President Salome Zurabishvili remains the country’s sole legitimate leader.

Pro-Western Zurabishvili, who is at loggerheads with Georgian Dream, has refused to step down and is demanding new parliamentary elections, paving the way for a constitutional showdown.

On Saturday morning, protesters began gathering outside the parliament building, which was cordoned off by police forces.

“Georgia never loses its sense of humour, celebrating the election of a footballer as president,” Zurabishvili wrote on social media.

She shared video footage of protesters playing football in the snow -- a clear jab at Kavelashvili.

(AFP)

--Agencies