Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former Manchester City footballer, has been appointed president by Georgia’s disputed parliament, after 17 days of pro-EU protests that have swept this country’s towns and cities.
The 53-year-old is a former MP from the increasingly authoritarian ruling Georgian Dream party and was the only candidate for the job.
On Saturday, 224 out of 225 members of Georgia’s electoral college voted for him.
The four main opposition groups have rejected Kavelashvili and have boycotted parliament, insisting that the elections held in October were rigged.
Large crowds of protesters, facing freezing temperatures, gathered outside parliament from the early hours of Saturday morning ahead of the vote.
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