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Anti-West hardliner elected as new president of Georgia

The Independent

|

December 15, 2024

Former Premier League footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili has been elected as the president of Georgia, replacing the pro-Western incumbent.

- ALEX CROFT

Anti-West hardliner elected as new president of Georgia

Mr Kavelashvili holds anti-Western and often conspiratorial views, having previously claimed that Western intelligence agencies are attempting to push Georgia into war with Russia, its ruler for two centuries until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

He was a striker for Manchester City between 1996 and 1997, before playing for a number of clubs in the Swiss Super League.

He was first elected to parliament in 2016 for the Georgian Dream party – which is trying to deepen ties with Russia since the war began in Ukraine – and in November 2024 was selected as its presidential candidate.

Mr Kavelashvili’s election comes following huge protests against the government led by the Georgian Dream party, after it moved to freeze accession to the EU – a long standing goal which is written into the country’s constitution – until 2028.

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