Footballer Could Become Georgia's New President

The ruling Georgian Dream party has nominated former football player Mikheil Kavelashvili for President, Orda.kz reports, citing  NewsGeorgia.

NewsGeorgia reports that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the party's founder and honorary Chair, personally announced the name of the candidate for the presidential post from the Georgian Dream.  

Kavelashvili is one of the Dream’s supporters who formally went to the Power of the People party and are distinguished by their harsh anti-Western statements,
writes NewsGeorgia. 

Mikheil Kavelashvili has been a member of the Georgian parliament since 2016. 

Ten years earlier, he ended his professional football career. From 1987 to 2006, he played for clubs in Georgia, Russia, England, and Switzerland. 

For the first time, an electoral college will choose the President. Salome Zurabishvili, who opposes the Georgian Dream, is the current President. Georgia, however, is a parliamentary republic, which the Prime Minister leads.

Mikheil Kavelashvili is not the only former footballer in the highest positions in Georgian politics.

Since 2017,  Kakha Kaladze has been Tbilisi's mayor. He was previously the Minister of Energy and Deputy Prime Minister. 

Original Author: Igor Ulitin