Georgia's parliament, boycotted by the opposition and widely regarded as "illegitimate," elected pro-Russian former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili, 53, as the country's new president on Saturday, December 14. This is the first time in the history of this former Soviet republic in the Caucasus that the head of state is not elected by direct universal vote, but by a college of electors controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party. The latter, which has a majority in Parliament, elected this highly controversial candidate with 224 votes out of 225, drawing criticism even from within his own camp.

Known for his violent anti-Western diatribes, Mikheil Kavelashvili is set to succeed the pro-European President Salome Zourabishvili, 72, on December 29. However, the former French diplomat has announced her refusal to step down until new parliamentary elections are held. Like the opposition, she believes that the October 26 vote, the results of which gave Georgian Dream a fourth term in office, was "rigged" with Russian assistance.

"The handover on December 29, which marks the end of my mandate, is only valid if it's a legitimate president. As long as this is not the case, I remain the only source of legitimacy and continuity in this country," she said on December 5 in an interview with Le Monde. Parliament is stepping up the pressure, and on Friday passed on third reading a package of laws that will deprive Zurabishvili of state protection after the end of her mandate.

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