Georgia elects “illegitimate” pro-Russian president as 65% back ongoing EU protests

Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former footballer and member of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has been elected president of Georgia by the country’s parliament in a process the opposition calls illegitimate.

The election took place on 14 December 2024, amid ongoing protests against Georgian Dream’s victory in the fiercely disputed 26 October parliamentary elections.

The opposition parties, current President Salome Zourabichvili, and tens of thousands of citizens reject the parliamentary election results, alleging widespread electoral fraud. They are demanding new elections under international oversight. The allegations of fraud have been backed up by statistical analysis indicating that 15% of the Georgian Dream’s votes were stolen.

Kavelashvili is supposed to replace Zourabichvili, who has been an independent voice resisting Georgian Dream’s pro-Russian policies, thanks to constitutional changes introduced by the party in 2017. However, in a stunning development, Zourabichvili declared she would remain in office beyond her term, defying the changes that critics argue allow Georgian Dream to consolidate power.

“Exactly one year ago, on 14 December, Georgia received EU candidate status, a day of universal celebration,” President Zourabichvili said today. “And now, in just one year, one oligarch and one party have destroyed this monumental opportunity, establishing a repressive, authoritarian regime.”

Zourabichvili, describing her office as “the only independent institution and the sole legitimate institution left,” announced she would gather opposition parties and public representatives to “jointly manage the political aspect” of the growing resistance movement. “I will remain as your president, there is no legitimate parliament, therefore an illegitimate parliament cannot elect the president,” she said.

The controversial 2017 amendment changed the presidential selection process from a direct election to an indirect one, with the president now chosen by a 300-member electoral college. Critics claim this has transformed the presidency into a largely ceremonial role, allowing Georgian Dream to ensure their candidate assumes the position without significant opposition.

The opposition fears that Zourabichvili’s successor, Mikheil Kavelashvili, will be a “full puppet candidate” loyal to Georgian Dream and its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, further entrenching the party’s control over the government and pushing the country towards Russia.

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Georgia’s leading elections watchdog, decried the election of Kavelashvili as illegitimate, stating that any decision of the illegitimate parliament is also illegitimate.

Outside parliament, protesters started the day by playing football and chanting, “Kavelashvili, come down and join us,” addressing the presidential candidate. Many brought their diplomas and held them as a symbolic gesture, highlighting that Kavelashvili, who was absent from the voting session, has no higher education.

Some protesters hold red cards for Mikheil Kavelashvili, to be appointed president. He is a former football player. Earlier protesters also brought diplomas here as allegedly Kavelashvili doesn’t have one. pic.twitter.com/9GmNIpjQAF

— Mariam Nikuradze (@mari_nikuradze) December 14, 2024

Mamuka Mdinaradze, Executive Secretary of Georgian Dream, defended Kavelashvili, saying, “Mikheil Kavelashvili is a seasoned professional politician who meets the most important criterion—he has never betrayed and will never betray his homeland. The entire nation once cheered for him in football, and today, the majority supports him because he is being elected president by a government chosen by the Georgian people with legitimate authority,” JAMnews reported.

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili called on the opposition to end their boycott, referred to Western partners as “pseudo-Europeans” and “Soviet citizens,” and urged them to accept the election results and “stop meddling and trying to decide what kind of government Georgia should have.”

The opposition fears that Kavelashvili’s presidency would lead to Georgian Dream consolidating full control of the government, turning Georgia into a one-party autocracy. Known for his anti-Western stance and promotion of “Global War Party” conspiracy theories, Kavelashvili is expected to push anti-NATO, anti-EU isolationist propaganda while being open to engaging in direct talks with Russia.

The pro-Russian Georgian Dream has unilaterally elected a loyal president, Mikheil Kavelashvili, amid escalating protests against Georgia’s U-turn on EU integration

Protests continue outside parliament in Tbilisi.

Current president Salome Zourabichvili, a staunch advocate of… https://t.co/pCzOubxZOo

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) December 14, 2024

The elections comes as a poll finds widespread support for the ongoing protests. According to an IPM survey conducted from December 3-12, 65% of the Georgian population supports the demonstrations against the government’s U-turn on EU integration, with the protest sentiment even higher among young people aged 18-34 at 76%. The study also reveals that 61% of the population believes the parliamentary elections were rigged, and 50% think Georgian Dream’s policies are pro-Russian.

The telephone survey, conducted throughout Georgia, interviewed 1,600 citizens aged 18+ with a research error not exceeding +/- 2.5% within the 95% confidence interval.

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