The Central Election Commission of Georgia has announced the victory of Mikheil Kavelashvili, the sole candidate from the ruling party “Georgian Dream,” in the presidential elections.
The 53-year-old former football player secured the support of 224 out of 300 electors. It is worth noting that this time the president of Georgia was not elected by popular vote but through an electoral college. The college consists of 300 members, half of whom are parliamentarians, while the other half are representatives of regional administrations.
Due to the “Georgian Dream” party’s success in parliamentary elections and its dominant position in regional governance, it held a majority in the college, which essentially predetermined the outcome.
The voting took place on December 14 in the Parliament building amid protests. Current President Salome Zourabichvili had previously stated that she would not recognize the election results and declared that she would continue to consider herself the legitimate head of state, refusing to step down.
The opposition has also rejected the election results and is preparing to organize protests.
