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    • Georgian lawmakers elect far-right ruling party loyalist Mikheil Kavelashvili as president
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    Georgian lawmakers elect far-right ruling party loyalist Mikheil Kavelashvili as president

    Pabio Posted on

    Georgian Lawmakers on Saturday elected Mikheil Kavelashvili, a radical critic of the West, as the country’s new president, appointing him to replace a pro-Western outgoing president. amid major protests against the government because of the cessation of the country’s politics European Union accession negotiations last month.

    The ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to freeze the EU accession process until 2028, abruptly ending a long-standing national goal enshrined in the country’s constitution, has sparked widespread anger in Georgia, where opinion polls show that the bid for EU membership is extremely popular.

    Kavelashvili, a former professional footballer, holds strongly anti-Western, often conspiratorial views. In public speeches this year, he has repeatedly claimed that Western intelligence agencies seek to push Georgia into war with Russia.

    Georgian presidents are chosen by a college of electors made up of deputies and local government representatives. Of the 225 voters present, 224 voted for Kavelashvili, who was the only nominated candidate.

    All opposition parties have boycotted parliament since the October elections, the official results of which gave the ruling Georgian Dream party nearly 54% of the vote, but which the opposition considers fraudulent.

    Hundreds of protesters gathered in light snow outside Parliament ahead of the presidential vote. Some played football in the street and waved red cards in front of Parliament, a mocking reference to Kavelashvili’s sporting career.

    Lasers and fireworks: weapons of choice for Georgian protesters

    Protesters point lasers at riot police in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 4, 2024.

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    Protesters point lasers at riot police in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 4, 2024. ©AFP

    Kavelashvili was appointed to the largely ceremonial presidency last month by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire former prime minister who is widely considered the country’s supreme leader.

    Kavelashvili is a leader of People Power, an anti-Western splinter group from the ruling party, and was co-author of a “foreign agents” law that requires organizations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from the foreigner to register as agents. foreign influence and imposes heavy fines for violations.

    Past President Salomé ZourabichviliA pro-European critic of the ruling Georgian Dream party, positioned herself as a leader of the protest movement and said she would remain president after her term ends. She considers Parliament illegitimate due to alleged fraud in the October elections.

    Opposition parties have said they will continue to consider Zurabichvili as the legitimate president, even after Kavelashvili’s inauguration on December 29.

    Degraded relations with the West

    Georgia has been considered one of the most pro-Western and democratic successor states to the Soviet Union for decades, but relations with the West have deteriorated this year as the Georgian Dream forced adoption laws on foreign agents and LGBT rights which critics consider Russian-inspired and draconian.

    Western countries have sounded the alarm over Georgia’s apparent shift in foreign policy and authoritarian drift, with the EU threatening sanctions following the repression of demonstrations. In a video speech to Georgians published on Friday, the French president Emmanuel Macron said: “Georgia’s European dream must not die”.

    Since the outbreak of war in UkraineGeorgian Dream decided to improve ties with Russia, which ruled Georgia for 200 years until 1991, continues to support two breakaway Georgian regions and defeated Georgia in a five-day war in 2008.

    Tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered every evening in front of Parliament for more than two weeks. Some threw fireworks at police, who used water cannons, tear gas and election attacks to disperse the protests.

    The government has repeatedly said the protests represent an attempt to stage a pro-European revolution and a violent takeover.

    Police arrested hundreds of protesters. The Georgian Interior Ministry said more than 150 police officers were injured during the protests.

    Learn moreDozens of people arrested during crackdown on pro-European protests in Georgia

    On Friday, Parliament approved sweeping new restrictions on protests, increasing fines for participants and organizers, and banning gatherings with masks, fireworks and lasers used to dazzle police officers.

    (Reuters)

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