Former Manchester City player Mikheil Kavelashvili becomes president of Georgia, 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.
Mikheil Kavelashvili reacts after he was elected the country's new president on Saturday. Mikheil Kavelashvili was elected as president by the 300-seat electoral college that is controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party.
The ruling Georgian Dream party's move to freeze the EU accession process until 2028 — abruptly halting a long-standing national goal that is written into the country's constitution — has provoked widespread anger in Georgia, where opinion polls show that seeking EU membership is overwhelmingly popular.
Photo shows A middle-aged brunette woman in white speaks at a white lectern backed by red and white Georgian flags Mr Kavelashvili, who has also been mocked by the opposition for lacking higher education, was a striker in the 1990s for Manchester City as well as in several clubs in the Swiss Super League.
Outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-EU critic of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has positioned herself as a leader of the protest movement and has said she will remain president after her term ends on Monday.Mikheil Kavelashvili attends a parliament session during his election as the country’s new president.Opposition parties have said they will continue to regard Ms Zourabichvili as the legitimate president, even after Mr Kavelashvili is inaugurated on December 29.
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