Former Man City striker becomes President of Georgia

Former Manchester City striker Mikheil Kavelashvili has become the President of Georgia as the ruling party consolidates its grip on power in the country.

The 53 year-old, a former Georgian MP who played briefly for City in the mid-to-late 1990s, easily won the vote given the Georgian Dream party's control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017.

He made his debut for the Blues in the 1996 derby against Manchester United, but only made a handful of appearances with his last City outing coming in 1997.

Georgian Dream retained control of parliament in the South Caucasus nation in an election on October 26 that the opposition alleges was rigged with Moscow’s help.

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Georgia’s outgoing president and main pro-Western parties have since boycotted parliamentary sessions and demanded a rerun of the ballot. Georgian Dream has vowed to continue pushing toward EU accession but also wants to “reset” ties with Russia.

The opposition calls the situation a blow to the country’s European aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia.

In 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow’s recognition of two breakaway regions as independent and an increase in the Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Critics have accused Georgian Dream – established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia – of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied.

The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and