Georgia's controversial parliament has appointed ex-Manchester City footballer Mikhail Kavelashvili as president. He took office 17 days after anti-European Union (EU) protests spread from city to city in the country.
Kavelashvili, 53, was a former member of parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream Party. He was the only candidate for the presidency. 224 out of 225 members voted for him in Georgia's Electoral College vote on Saturday. Ahead of the vote, a large gathering took place outside Parliament this morning local time.
The four main opposition parties rejected Kavelashvili and boycotted parliament, saying the October election was rigged. And Georgia's outgoing pro-Western president Salome Zorabichvili has denounced Kavelashvili's election, accusing it of fraud.
And current Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused Zorabichvili of harming Georgia's interests. He insisted that Zorabichvili should retire after the end of his term on December 29. Yesterday he said, 'Our state institutions are quite strong, so we will not have any difficulty in bringing the situation under control.'
Kavelashvili started his professional career in 1988 for a domestic club. He played in the City jersey from 1995-97. This striker ended his career for the Swiss club Basel in 2006. He played 46 matches for Georgia from 1991-2002 and scored 9 goals.
