Ruling party’s candidate Mikheil Kavelashvili is declared winner of presidential election in Georgia
Mikheil Kavelashvili won the presidential election, the legitimacy of which is not recognized by the current head of state and the opposition.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by Echo of the Caucasus.
It is noted that this was announced by CEC Chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili.
Members of the electoral college, the vast majority of which were representatives of the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream party, elected Kavelashvili president. He received 224 votes, with one ballot spoiled (Ada Marshania, a member of the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic, did not vote).
Who is Mikheil Kavelashvili?
Kavelashvili is a former football player, a representative of the Power of the People party, which formally split from the ruling party, and was the only candidate. He is 53 years old and has no higher education.
Kavelashvili is a football veteran who started his career at Lokomotiv Tbilisi, then moved to Dynamo Tbilisi, where he became a six-time Georgian champion. In 1995 he moved to Spartak Alania Vladikavkaz, and in 1996 to Manchester City (28 matches, 3 goals). He also played for clubs in Switzerland. He played 46 matches for the Georgian national team and scored 9 goals.
The legitimacy of the election is not recognized bythe protesters, who gathered near the parliament to demand new parliamentary elections. President Salome Zurabishvili stated that "her mandate will continue until a new president is elected by the new parliament."
Incumbent President Zurabishvili commented on the election, which was declared the winner by Mikheil Kavelashvili: "There is nothing. No one chose anyone. Nothing happened."
