Georgian former footballer and now far-right politician Mikheil Kavelashvili is poised to become Tbilisi’s next presidential figurehead following an indirect election widely condemned as “illegitimate” by the current pro-EU leader.
Chosen by the governing Georgian Dream party as a loyalist, Kavelashvili, who once played for Manchester City in the English Premier League, is known for his outspoken, often controversial, views and rhetoric targeting government critics and LGBTQ communities.
The election comes after Georgian Dream abolished the popular vote system to elect the president, replacing it with an electoral college controlled by the party under constitutional changes passed in 2017.
Kavelashvili’s rise to the presidency has taken place amid growing anti-government protests in Tbilisi. Thousands have marched for weeks, angry at Georgian Dream for halting EU accession talks. Protesters have branded Kavelashvili as a puppet of Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian Dream’s founder, who has described him as “the embodiment of a Georgian man.”
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Kavelashvili has made headlines for his controversial views on LGBTQ rights, which align with Georgian Dream’s adoption of laws restricting their rights. He has accused the West of trying to impose “neutral and tolerant” views on LGBTQ ideology, which he describes as “an act against humanity.”
Football Background
Kavelashvili, born in Bolnisi in 1971, began his career as a footballer in the 1980s, playing for clubs in Georgia and Russia. His most notable stint came with Manchester City from 1995 to 1997, where he scored on his debut against Manchester United. After his time in England, he played in Switzerland for clubs like Grasshoppers, Zurich, and Basel.
In 2015, he was disqualified from running for president of the Georgian Football Federation due to a lack of higher education, a requirement for the role. Kavelashvili has been an MP for Georgian Dream since 2016 and was elected to the legislature in the October 2024 polls, which opposition parties claim were rigged.
In 2022, Kavelashvili and other Georgian Dream lawmakers formed the People’s Power faction, an anti-Western group often perceived as a satellite of Georgian Dream. His political affiliations have consistently leaned towards far-right ideologies.
‘Oligarch’s Puppet’
Kavelashvili is known for inflammatory statements, particularly against opponents and Western leaders. He has accused the West of trying to drag Georgia into Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Georgian Dream’s nomination of Kavelashvili to the largely ceremonial presidential role has angered many in Georgia, particularly as it has further deepened the country’s political crisis. Demonstrators have expressed strong opposition, accusing Ivanishvili of selecting Kavelashvili as a tool for maintaining control.
Historian Nika Gobronidze, 53, told AFP that Kavelashvili’s selection reflects a pattern reminiscent of Roman Emperor Caligula, who famously appointed his horse as a consul.
Illegitimate Election
The constitutional changes that allow Kavelashvili’s election have been deemed illegitimate by legal experts, including Vakhtang Khmaladze, a co-author of Georgia’s constitution. Tbilisi is now immersed in a constitutional crisis, with President Salome Zurabishvili demanding a re-run of October’s parliamentary elections.
Parliament’s approval of its credentials before a court decision on Zurabishvili’s bid to annul the election results has been deemed unlawful. Zurabishvili has declared the new parliament and government as illegitimate and stated she will not step down from office at the end of her term on December 29 unless Georgian Dream organizes fresh elections.
