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Mikheil Kavelashvili

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Mikheil Kavelashvili (Georgian: მიხეილ ყაველაშვილი [miχeil χʼaveɫaʃʷili]; born 22 July 1971) is a Georgian politician and former professional footballer. He was proclaimed the sixth president of Georgia after the 2024 presidential election, which was boycotted and disputed by the opposition, as well as some of the international community. He was the sole candidate on the ballot.

Mikheil Kavelashvili
მიხეილ ყაველაშვილი
Kavelashvili in 2014
President-elect of Georgia
(Disputed)[1]
Assuming office
29 December 2024 (Disputed)
Prime MinisterIrakli Kobakhidze
SucceedingSalome Zourabichvili
Member of the Parliament of Georgia
In office
18 November 2016 – 10 December 2024
Personal details
Born (1971-07-22) 22 July 1971 (age 53)[2]
Bolnisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Political partyIndependent (2024–present)
Other political
affiliations		Georgian Dream (2016–2022)
People's Power (2022–2024)
SpouseTamar Bagrationi
Children4
Occupation
  • Politician
  • footballer
Association football career
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[3]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1989–1991 Dinamo Tbilisi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1995 Dinamo Tbilisi 132 (80)
1994–1995 → Alania Vladikavkaz (loan) 24 (12)
1996–1997 Manchester City 28 (3)
1997–1999 → Grasshoppers (loan) 59 (20)
1999–2002 Zürich 81 (28)
2002–2003 Luzern 25 (5)
2003–2004 Sion 10 (6)
2004–2005 Aarau 16 (8)
2004 → Alania Vladikavkaz (loan) 7 (0)
2005–2006 Basel 14 (4)
Total 396 (166)
International career
1991–2002 Georgia 46 (9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

As a football player, he was a striker who notably played in the English Premier League for Manchester City and in the Swiss Super League for a range of clubs. He also played for Dinamo Tbilisi and Spartak Vladikavkaz. He was capped 46 times by the Georgian national football team, scoring nine goals.

Kavelashvili was first elected to parliament in the 2016 election representing the ruling Georgian Dream party. In 2022, he co-founded People's Power, a satellite party of Georgian Dream. His election as president was assessed as "illegitimate" by the opposition, outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili, watchdog organizations and constitutional experts.[4] It was the first time in Georgia's independent history that only one party was represented in a presidential election.[5]

Football career

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As with many leading Georgian players, Kavelashvili began his career with Dinamo Tbilisi, emerging from their youth system in 1989. A striker, he soon established himself in the Dinamo side before earning a move to Russian club Spartak Vladikavkaz in 1995. He won the Russian Premier League during his year at the club from North Ossetia–Alania.[6]

Kavelashvili began training with Manchester City on 1 March 1996, before finally joining the club on 28 March, which was transfer deadline day.[7] He was recommended to manager Alan Ball by compatriot Georgi Kinkladze, who had joined for £2 million in the summer.[8] The Kavelashvili deal, which was worth £1.4 million, took several weeks due to the player requiring a work permit.[7] He made his City debut on 6 April by scoring in the Manchester derby game against Manchester United,[9] and totalled 4 games and 1 goal in the Premier League as City were relegated.[3]

Following City's relegation, Kavelashvili played 24 games (two goals) in the Football League First Division. The number was not enough to secure a renewal of his work permit, and he was sent out on loan to Grasshoppers, winning a Swiss Super League in 1998.[9] He then played the majority of his football in Switzerland, featuring for Zürich, Luzern, Sion and Aarau. Aarau loaned him out to Vladikavkaz in Autumn 2004, but he returned to Switzerland after playing just seven games.

Kavelashvili joined Basel's first team during their 2005–06 season under head coach Christian Gross, who was behind Grasshoppers' league win in 1998. Kavelashvili played his domestic league debut for the club in the home game in the St. Jakob-Park on 12 March 2006 as he was substituted in the 66th minute; he scored the only goal of the win over Grasshoppers.[10] Basel had started the season well and were joint leaders of the championship with Zürich right until the last day of the league campaign, when they lost the title on goal difference.[11]

Kavelashvili had ten appearances for FCB in his first season and in each he had been used as a substitute. In his second season, he made seven appearances, again each as substitute, but the club released him before the winter break, and he retired from his active football career. During his period with the club, he played a total of 17 games (three in the UEFA Cup) and scored 4 goals.[12]

With the Georgia national team, he won the 1998 Malta International Football Tournament.[13]

Political career

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In 2016, he was elected as a member of Parliament of Georgia for the Georgian Dream party. He was re-elected in 2020. He left Georgian Dream in 2022 and co-founded the People's Power party. In the 2024 parliamentary election he was elected for the third time via the party list of Georgian Dream, which People's Power had joined.

Kavelashvili has accused the political opposition in Georgia of being controlled by US congressmen with "an insatiable desire to destroy our country" and plotting "a direct violent revolution and the Ukrainisation of Georgia".[14]

Presidential election

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On 27 November 2024, Georgian Dream nominated Kavelashvili as its candidate for the presidency of Georgia in the election on 14 December 2024.[15] In his nomination speech, he accused outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili of violating the constitution.[16] As the sole candidate Kavelashvili received 224 out of 225 votes of the 300-member electoral college and was proclaimed the next president,[17] with a scheduled inauguration on 29 December 2024.[18] The opposition described the election process as "illegitimate" and boycotted the vote.[19]

The election of Kavelashvili as president was widely disputed and regarded as illegitimate, by the opposition, outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili, watchdog organizations and Georgian constitutional experts.[4] This was largely based on allegations of electoral fraud associated with the parliamentary election, which took place seven weeks prior,[17] which undermined the legitimacy of parliament and therefore the electoral college.

The allegations of electoral fraud triggered widespread protests and contributed to a broader political crisis in the country. Salome Zourabichvili, along with opposition parties and the majority of civil society, continued to assert her recognition as the legitimate President of Georgia.[29] If sworn in, Kavelashvili would be the second former professional football player to be elected as a country's president, following the election of George Weah as President of Liberia from 2018 to 2024.[30]

Family

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His wife is Tamar Bagrationi (born 1971), sister of singer Liza Bagrationi (born 1974).

He has 4 children:

Honours

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Dinamo Tbilisi

Vladikavkaz

Grasshoppers

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kavelashvili's election is contested by outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili, all opposition parties, watchdogs and constitutional experts, who questioned the legitimacy of the presidential election
  2. ^ მიხეილ ყაველაშვილი, Biographical Dictionary, National Parliamentary Library of Georgia.
  3. ^ a b "Mikhail [sic] Kavelashvili". Premier League. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b "ორი პარასკევი 14-დან 29 დეკემბრამდე - რა ხდება ყაველაშვილის ინაუგურაციის შემდეგ? (Two Fridays from December 14 to 29 - What happens after Kavelashvili's inauguration?)". Radio Tavisupleba (RFE/RL) (in Georgian). 14 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024. Constitutionalist Vakhtang Khmaladze: "The election of the president is illegitimate, since his election was appointed by a parliament that is itself illegitimate."
  5. ^ ""ოცნების" პრეზიდენტის არჩევნებში მხოლოდ ერთი კანდიდატი მონაწილეობს". Netgazeti (in Georgian). 14 December 2014.
  6. ^ "Russian Media on Kavelashvili: Russia's Champion Runs for Georgian Presidency". Georgian News. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Maine Road Diary - Spring '96".
  8. ^ "Partner for Kinkladze". The Irish Times. 2 March 1996. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  9. ^ a b Everitt, Natasha (14 December 2024). "Ex-Man City player who scored iconic derby goal becomes new president of Georgia". Talksport. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  10. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (12 March 2006). "FC Basel - Grasshopper Club 2:1 (1:1)". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  11. ^ Karel Stokkermans, Daniel Dalence and Antonio Zea (2006). "Switzerland 2005/06". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  12. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (2007). "Mikheil Kavelashvili - FCB statistics". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Georgia vs Latvia, 6 February 1998".
  14. ^ "Georgia's governing party taps pro-Russian ex-footballer for president". Al Jazeera. 27 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  15. ^ "GD Picks Former Football Player Mikheil Kavelashvili as Presidential Candidate". Civil Georgia. 27 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Georgia's governing party picks former soccer player as presidential candidate". Associated Press. 27 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Georgia: Ex-footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili named president". BBC News. 14 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  18. ^ "GD Says New President to be Elected on December 14". Civil Georgia. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  19. ^ "Mikheil Kavelashvili Elected as President by College of GD MPs and Local Councilors". Civil Georgia. 14 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  20. ^ "Georgia's president slams her successor's appointment as 'a mockery of democracy'". euronews. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  21. ^ "US Congressman Wilson: Zourabichvili remains legitimate president of Georgia". 1TV. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  22. ^ "Kavelashvili Is GD's Unilaterally Appointed Illegitimate President". Transparency International. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  23. ^ "Georgia: Ex-footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili named president". BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  24. ^ "Georgia Parliament elects pro-Russian Mikheil Kavelashvili as president". Le Monde. 14 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  25. ^ "Georgian opposition calls on EU to declare 'Ivanishvili regime' illegitimate". RBC-Ukraine. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  26. ^ "Only 'legitimate' parliament can elect my successor, says Georgia's president". tvpworld.com. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  27. ^ "Georgian opposition call on EU to declare Georgian Government "illegitimate" amid ongoing public protests". agenda.ge. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  28. ^ "Georgia ruling party installs loyalist president amid constitutional crisis, protests". Euractiv. 14 December 2024.
  29. ^ [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]
  30. ^ Taylor, Daniel (13 December 2024). "Mikheil Kavelashvili used to play for Manchester City. Now he's Georgia's far-right president-elect". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  31. ^ თანამდებობის პირის ქონებრივი მდგომარეობის დეკლარაცია #122722, მიხეილ ყაველაშვილი. declaration.acb.gov.ge 31.12.2019.
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