Georgia's crisis worsens with the appointment of former footballer Kavelashvili as the country's president

A former Manchester City footballer is set to be appointed president of Georgia on Saturday, 16 days after pro-EU protests swept through towns and cities in the country.

Mikheil Kavelashvili, 53, is a former lawmaker for the increasingly authoritarian ruling Georgian Dream party. He is expected to be chosen on Saturday by an electoral college controlled by the ruling party.

His appointment comes after a controversial process in Georgia's disputed parliament, where the four main opposition groups rejected him and refuse to participate in parliamentary activities. They insist that the elections held in October were fraudulent.

The outgoing pro-Western President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, condemned Kavelashvili's election as a farce, insisting that she was running the only remaining legitimate institution in Georgia.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused the president of trying to harm Georgia's interests, stressing that when her term ends on December 29, she will have to retire.

“We have very strong state institutions, and we certainly have no difficulty in fully controlling the situation,” he was quoted as saying on Friday.

Her party colleague Nino Tsilosani told reporters that Zurabishvili was no longer president in the eyes of the public.

Protests against the Georgian Dream began immediately after the October elections, but broke out on November 28 when the government announced that it would postpone EU accession negotiations until 2028.

An overwhelming majority of Georgians support the country's path toward joining the European Union, which is part of the constitution.

Every night, the main street outside Parliament is filled with demonstrators draped in European Union flags and demanding new elections.

The vote in Parliament on Saturday is expected to take several hours and lead to an escalation of anti-government protests. It will include a direct ballot conducted by a 300-member electoral college composed of deputies and local officials loyal to the Georgian Dream from across the country.

Ahead of the vote, the capital Tbilisi was rocked on Friday by pop-up protests involving IT professionals, public sector workers, creative industry professionals, actors and lawyers.

“We stand here to establish a legal state once and for all, respecting the provisions of the constitution and human rights,” said lawyer Davit Kikalishvili (47 years old).

Kavilashvili is the founder of the People Power Party, known as the main voice of anti-Western propaganda in Georgia.

He accused the opposition parties of acting as a “fifth column” directed from abroad, and described President Zurabishvili as “the main agent.”

Kavilashvili moved into politics after he was disqualified from seeking to lead the Georgian Football Association because he lacked qualifications.

Although his party ran alongside Georgian Dream in October, it has now decided to serve in parliament as a “healthy opposition”, replacing the “allegedly radical opposition funded by foreign powers”.

Georgian Dream, founded by billionaire businessman and former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, has been accused of dragging the country back into Russia's sphere of influence.

Both the European Union and the United States have condemned the government for its retreat from democracy, and more than 460 people have been arrested across Georgia in the past two weeks, according to Transparency International.

The organization says that more than 300 people were subjected to ill-treatment or torture, including dozens of Georgian media workers. Last weekend, thugs were filmed attacking a TV reporter and photographer.

the The European Union has condemned it 'Brutal and unlawful force used by police' Foreign ministers are due to consider action against the government when they meet on Monday.

the The US State Department has already imposed visa restrictions On Georgian officials, including government ministers and police.

The demonstrators called on the international community to impose sanctions on senior government officials as well as Bidzina Ivanishvili, the most powerful man in Georgia.

Pro-government groups also launched a campaign of harassment against civil society activists, beating them outside homes, and carrying out arbitrary arrests.

“There is systematic torture and inhuman and degrading treatment of citizens,” said former public rights defender Nino Lomjaría.

Theater workers who joined the protests on Friday chanted: “Police everywhere, justice is missing.”

At one point, two men climbed a construction crane as protesters walked along the road. The duo waved the Georgian flag as crowds cheered below.