Ex-Premier league striker named nation’s president and can crack down on homosexual rights
A former Premier League forward who played for Manchester City has taken a dramatic career change as he was elected President of Georgia
An ex-Manchester City striker has gone from the pitch to the presidential suite as they have been elected President of Georgia.
Mikheil Kavelashvili played for the Premier League champions from 1996 to 1997. Although City got relegated during his time at the club, the Georgian did score on his debut which just so happened to be in the Manchester derby. However Man United won 3-2 in the end with a Ryan Giggs finish.
After leaving England, he spent the majority of his senior career playing in Switzerland with teams like Zurich and Basel. He earned 46 caps for his national team where he bagged nine goals.
Kavelashvili has now gone from winning games to winning elections – but it has come with mountains of criticism. He was elected to parliament in 2016 and continued to co-found the People’s Power political movement in 2022.
The People’s Power are allied with ruling party Georgian Dream. This party wants to reset its ties with Russia along with pushing toward EU accession. The former striker won the vote with ease. This was because the Georgian Dream controls the electoral college.
The ruling party was founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, a Georgian politician who earned his money in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The party has been accused of leaning towards Moscow and becoming more authoritarian. The Georgian Dream has denied these accusations from critics.
But t former Premier League man has not been the most welcomed President. The opposition called the election “illegitimate” and protestors gathered around the parliament building ahead of a rally. The opposition continued to accuse Georgian Dream of rigging the vote with the help of Moscow.
Riots had erupted across various nights building up to the election. Tear gas was used and riot police were brutal. Pro-EU demonstrators lined the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, and more violence erupted as the government delayed the decision regarding European Union Membership.
Kavelashvili’s party has also recently pushed for a crack down on LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of speech. The laws they wish to impose are not dissimilar from those used in Russia by the Kremlin.
The former-City player will be replacing pro-western president Salome Zourabichvili who has been in the position since 2018. She says she will not leave when her terms ends on Monday and has deemed herself the only legitimate leader.
