- Mikheil Kavelashvili scored three times in 28 games for Man City from 1995-1997
- The 53-year-old former striker moved into politics after retiring from football
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A former Manchester City star became the president of Georgia on Saturday, despite the controversial nature of his elevation to power.
Mikheil Kavelashvili, who scored three times in 28 appearances for City between 1995 and 1997, has taken on the role following an election in October.
He was elected to parliament in 2016 as part of the right wing Georgian Dream party and in 2022 he co-founded the People’s Power political movement, which was allied with Georgian Dream and has become known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric.
The October election saw the Georgian Dream party retain control of parliament and they subsequently nominated Kavelashvili as their candidate to become president.
The 53-year-old easily won a vote to confirm his ascension on Saturday given the Georgian Dream party’s control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017.
However, the election was hugely controversial amid opposition accusations that the Georgian Dream, who are viewed as pro-Russian, rigged the vote with the help of the Kremlin.
Former Manchester City star Mikheil Kavelashvili has become the president of Georgia
Kavelashvili’s new role was confirmed following a vote by the Georgian Parliament on Saturday
Kavelashvili’s accession has been marred by accusations of vote rigging in the election
In fact, opposition parties have claimed the accession of Kavelashvili is a victory for Russia, along with a blow to the country’s European aspirations.
They have since boycotted parliamentary sessions and demanded new elections, with mass protests across the country against Georgian Dream over recent months.
These were enhanced when the government announced EU accession negotiations were being pushed back until 2028, with the majority of Georgians in favour of the country being a part of the EU.
Georgian Dream has insisted it is committed to continue pushing toward EU accession but also wants to ‘reset’ ties with Russia.
In 2008 Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow’s recognition of two breakaway regions as independent, and an increase in the Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Critics have accused Georgian Dream – established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia – of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied.
The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
Georgia’s outgoing president, Salome Zourabichvili, who is pro-Western, has labelled Kalelashvilli’s election a ‘travesty’, claiming she doesn’t recognise the result and will stay in office until a proper election takes place.
Kavelashvili’s anti-Western and alleged pro-Russian outlook has also caused controversy
Kavelashvili scored three times in 28 appearances for Manchester City between 1995 and 1997
‘I remain your president – there is no legitimate Parliament and thus no legitimate election or inauguration,’ she recently declared on X. ‘My mandate continues.’
Meanwhile, speaking to The Associated Press, Zourabichvili rejected government claims that the opposition was fomenting violence.
‘We are not demanding a revolution,’ Zourabichvili said. ‘We are asking for new elections, but in conditions that will ensure that the will of the people will not be misrepresented or stolen again.
‘Georgia has been always resisting Russian influence and will not accept having its vote stolen and its destiny stolen,’ she said.
However, prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze, a Georgian Dream representative, accused Zourabichvili of attempting to harm the country’s interest and told her she must leave her post.
Meanwhile, along with his time in the Premier League with City, Kavelashvili starred as a striker for several clubs in the Swiss Super League.
The 53-year-old is best remembered for scoring on his City debut against Manchester United in April 1996.
Georgia’s outgoing president, Salome Zourabichvili has labelled his election a ‘travesty’
There have been significant pro-European protests since the election took place in October
The Citizens, then managed by Alan Ball, suffered a 3-2 defeat at Maine Road weeks before they were relegated from the Premier League.
Kavelashvili went on to score twice more for City in the First Division as they finished 14th in the second tier but did not play enough games for his work permit to be renewed.
He was loaned to Swiss club Grasshoppers and left permanently the following summer.
The former striker is the latest in a line of former footballers to seek public office in Georgia. Former AC Milan defender Kakha Kaladze, who won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007, has served as mayor of the capital Tbilisi since 2017.
Former Schalke and Hertha Berlin defender Levan Kobiashvili also sits in the Georgian parliament.
City, for whom fellow Georgia international Georgi Kinkladze had been a hit after signing in the summer of 1995, gambled on Kavelashvili to save them from the drop when he was brought in from Dinamo Tbilisi on transfer deadline day.
Despite taking seven points from their final three games they were relegated on goal difference, having failed to recover from taking only two points from their first 11.
Meanwhile, Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring organisations that receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as ‘pursuing the interest of a foreign power,’ similar to a Russian law used to discredit organizations critical of the government.
He was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring groups who receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as ‘pursuing the interest of a foreign power’
The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that the country meets the bloc’s recommendations, put its accession on hold and cut financial support in June following approval of the ‘foreign influence’ law.
Thousands of demonstrators converged on the Parliament building every night after the government announced the suspension of EU accession talks on November 28.
Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat scores of protesters, some of whom threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the capital’s central boulevard.
Hundreds were detained and over 100 treated for injuries. Several journalists were beaten by police and media workers accused authorities of using thugs to deter people from attending anti-government rallies, which Georgian Dream denies.
The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from the United States and EU officials.