Mikheil Kavelashvili facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mikheil Kavelashvili
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| მიხეილ ყაველაშვილი | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kavelashvili in 2014
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| President-elect of Georgia (Disputed) |
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| Assuming office 29 December 2024 (Disputed) |
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| Prime Minister | Irakli Kobakhidze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeding | Salome Zourabichvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Parliament of Georgia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 18 November 2016 – 10 December 2024 |
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 July 1971 Bolnisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union |
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| Political party | Independent (2024–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations |
Georgian Dream (2016–2022) People's Power (2022–2024) |
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| Spouse | Tamar Bagrationi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
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Mikheil Kavelashvili (Georgian: მიხეილ ყაველაშვილი; born 1971) is a Georgian politician and former professional footballer. He is claimed to be President-elect of Georgia following the disputed 2024 Georgian presidential election.
As a player, he was a striker who notably played in the English Premier League for Manchester City and in the Swiss Super League for Grasshoppers, Zürich, Luzern, Sion, Aarau and Basel. He also played for Dinamo Tbilisi and Spartak Vladikavkaz. He was capped 46 times by Georgia, scoring nine goals.
He moved into politics in 2016, and was elected to the Parliament of Georgia in the Georgian Dream party, before leaving to create the ruling party's satellite organization, People's Power, which is only nominally independent from Georgian Dream.
On 27 November 2024, the ruling Georgian Dream party nominated Kavelashvili as its candidate for the Presidency of Georgia. On 14 December 2024, he was "elected" in a process that the opposition has described "illegitimate" and boycotted it. It was the first time in the history of Georgia that a presidential candidate ran without any other candidates on the ballot, securing 100% of the valid electoral votes.
Club career
As with many leading Georgian players, Kavelashvili began his career with Dinamo Tbilisi, emerging from their youth system in 1989. A skilful striker, he soon established himself in the Dinamo side before earning a move to Russian club Spartak Vladikavkaz in 1995.
Kavelashvili began training with Manchester City on 1 March 1996, before finally joining the club on transfer deadline day. He made his City debut on 6 April scoring in the Manchester derby game against Manchester United. Following City's relegation, he 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. 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. 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.
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.
International career
With the Georgia national team, he won the 1998 Malta International Football Tournament.
Political career
In 2016 he was elected as a member of Parliament of Georgia from the Georgian Dream party. He left Georgian Dream in 2022 and co-founded the People's Power party. On 27 November 2024, he was nominated by Georgian Dream as its candidate for president of Georgia in elections scheduled on 14 December. In his nomination speech, he accused outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili of violating the constitution.
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".
He was elected as president by the electoral college assembled with 224 votes on 14 December 2024 and is expected to assume office on 29 December of the same year. The election was widely disputed and regarded as illegitimate, largely due to allegations of electoral fraud associated with the concurrent parliamentary elections. These allegations have triggered widespread unrest and contributed to a broader political crisis in the country. Salome Zourabichvili, along with opposition parties and the majority of civil society, continues to assert her recognition as the legitimate President of Georgia.
Kavelashvili is the second former professional football player in the history of politics, after George Weah, to be elected as a country's president.
Honours
Dinamo Tbilisi
- Umaglesi Liga: 1990, 1994, 1995
Vladikavkaz
- Russian Premier League: 1995
Grasshoppers
- Swiss Super League: 1998
See also
In Spanish: Míjeil Kavelashvili para niños
