Georgia's ruling party nominates far-right former footballer for president

Georgia's ruling party on Wednesday picked far-right politican and former football international Mikheil Kavelashvili as its candidate for president following a disputed victory in recent parliamentary elections that sparked turmoil in the Black Sea country.

The populist pro-Russian Georgian Dream nominated Kavelashvili, 53, an ex-national team and Premier League player, for the mostly ceremonial presidential post. He is all but certain to win the 14 December vote, since Georgian Dream dominates the electoral college of members of parliament and local government representatives.

Kavelashvili was elected to parliament on the Georgian Dream ticket in 2016. In 2022, he co-founded the People's Power political movement, a splinter group of the ruling party that has become known for its staunch anti-Western rhetoric.

His nomination comes as the country continues to endure political chaos and protests in the wake of disputed parliamentary elections on 26 October, which resulted in Georgian Dream securing a new majority with just under 54% of the vote. The elections were widely viewed as a referendum on the country's effort to bid join the European Union.

Georgia's opposition said the vote was rigged under the influence of Russia seeking to keep Tbilisi in its orbit, and declared a boycott of parliament. Opposition lawmakers and President Salome Zourabichvili refused to take part in the new parliament's inaugural session on Monday.

Zourabichvilihas declared the new legislature "unconstitutional" and is seeking to annul the election results, a call backed by thousands of protesters.

European election observers said October's parliamentary elections took place in a "divisive" atmosphere marked by instances of bribery, double voting and physical violence. Georgian Dream leaders have rejected claims of election fraud.

Warning signs

While the post of president is largely ceremonial, the West will likely see Kavelashvili's nomination as another sign that Tbilisi is becoming closer with Moscow.

Critics have accused Georgian Dream — established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Russia.

The party recently pushed through legislation similar to that used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech, LGBTQ+ rights and "foreign agents".

Brussels froze Georgia's EU membership application indefinitely in June after the parliament in Tbilisi passed a law passed requiring organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as "pursuing the interest of a foreign power". Kavelashvili was one of the bill’s authors.

On Wednesday, Ivanishvili presented Kavelashvili’s candidacy to parliament, praising his “significant contribution to protecting Georgia’s national interests and strengthening the country’s sovereignty".

Kavelashvili told parliament that "our society is divided" and said "radicalisation and polarisation" in Georgia had been fuelled from abroad.

He accused Zourabichvili of violating the constitution and declared that he will "restore the presidency to its constitutional framework".