Ex-Man City striker elected as Georgia's new far-right president

TBILISI - Georgian lawmakers elected former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili, a hardline critic of the West, as the country's new president on Dec 14, setting him up to replace a pro-Western incumbent amid major protests against the government over a halt to the country's European Union accession talks in November.

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The ruling Georgian Dream party's move to freeze the EU accession process until 2028, abruptly halting a longstanding national goal that is written into the country's Constitution, has provoked widespread anger in Georgia, where opinion polls show that seeking EU membership is overwhelmingly popular.

Picked by Georgian Dream as a loyalist, the former forward for English Premier League champions Manchester City is known for his expletive-laden speeches and tirades against government critics and LGBTQ people.

Georgian presidents are picked by a college of electors composed of MPs and representatives of local governments. Of 225 electors present, 224 voted for Mr Kavelashvili, who was the only candidate nominated.

All opposition parties have boycotted Parliament since October elections in which official results gave the ruling Georgian Dream almost 54 per cent of the vote, but which the opposition says was fraudulent.

Thousands of anti-government protesters have flooded Tbilisi for weeks, furious at Georgian Dream for shelving EU accession talks.

Protesters have described Mr Kavelashvili as a "puppet" of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian Dream's founder, who in turn has called him "the embodiment of a Georgian man".

Mr Kavelashvili's comments on LGBTQ people have raised alarm, as has Georgian Dream's adoption of Kremlin-style laws curbing their rights.