If you walk through the streets of Tbilisi right now, you’ll notice a strange, lingering tension. It’s early 2026, and the dust from one of the most chaotic political transitions in the Caucasus still hasn’t fully settled. We’re talking about a country that currently has a bit of a "two-president" identity crisis, depending on who you ask in a local khinkali shop.
Basically, the Republic of Georgia President is Mikheil Kavelashvili. Or is it?
Kavelashvili, a 54-year-old former striker for Manchester City, was sworn into office on December 29, 2024. But his predecessor, Salome Zourabichvili, didn’t exactly hand over the keys and ride off into the sunset. In fact, she’s still out there, meeting with European leaders and claiming the whole election was a "parody." It’s messy. It’s dramatic. Honestly, it’s peak Georgian politics.
The Footballer Who Became the Republic of Georgia President
It’s not every day a Premier League veteran becomes a head of state. Before he was wearing suits in parliament, Kavelashvili was scoring goals for Dinamo Tbilisi and Alania Vladikavkaz. He even had a stint in England in the mid-90s.
You’ve gotta admit, it's a hell of a career pivot.
But his rise to the presidency wasn't through a standard ballot box. Thanks to constitutional changes pushed through years ago, 2024 marked the first time the president wasn't elected by the people. Instead, a 300-member "Electoral College"—made up of MPs and local officials—did the voting.
Kavelashvili was the only name on the ballot.
Unsurprisingly, he won 224 out of 225 votes cast. The opposition? They boycotted the whole thing. They called it a sham. While Kavelashvili was being sworn in inside the parliament building, protesters outside were waving red cards, a not-so-subtle jab at his soccer past.
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Why the controversy won't go away
The big issue here isn't just that people miss voting directly. It's the ideology. Kavelashvili is a founding member of "People's Power," a group that split from the ruling Georgian Dream party but remains its closest ally.
He’s known for some pretty spicy rhetoric. He’s been a vocal critic of Western "interference" and was a key architect of the controversial "Foreign Agents" law. That's the law that sparked massive protests in 2024 because it looks a lot like legislation Russia uses to squash dissent.
So, you have a president who says he wants the European Union but spends most of his time bashing Western values. It's a walking contradiction.
Is Salome Zourabichvili still the president?
Technically, no. Symbolically? Well, that’s where it gets weird.
Salome Zourabichvili was the first female president of Georgia and the last one elected by a popular vote back in 2018. She started out as a Georgian Dream ally, but she eventually became their biggest headache. By the end of her term, the government was trying to impeach her.
On the day Kavelashvili was inaugurated, Zourabichvili gave a defiant speech outside the Orbeliani Palace. She told the crowd, "I take the legitimacy with me."
Fast forward to today, January 18, 2026. She’s still active. Just yesterday, reports came out that she was in Paris meeting with the head of the European Broadcasting Union. She’s acting like a shadow president, or at least a high-level diplomat without a portfolio.
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The Western world is in a tough spot. Some leaders have met with Kavelashvili out of necessity, but many still treat Zourabichvili as the "moral" leader of the country. It’s a bizarre diplomatic tightrope.
The "Foreign Influence" shadow
You can’t talk about the Republic of Georgia President without mentioning Bidzina Ivanishvili. He’s the billionaire founder of Georgian Dream and, according to most analysts, the man pulling the strings from behind the curtain.
Kavelashvili’s critics say he’s just a placeholder for Ivanishvili’s interests. The fear among the pro-EU youth in Tbilisi is that the presidency has been hollowed out. Since the 2018 constitution stripped the office of most real power, it's now mostly a ceremonial role. But symbols matter.
When the president uses that symbol to push anti-Western narratives, it sends a clear message to Brussels.
What most people get wrong about the role
A lot of people think the Georgian president runs the country like the U.S. president does. They don't.
Georgia is a parliamentary republic. The real power lives with the Prime Minister, currently Irakli Kobakhidze. The president is supposed to be a neutral arbiter, a "guarantor of the constitution."
But neutrality is dead in Georgia.
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Kavelashvili has spent much of his first year in office consolidating the "People's Power" agenda. He’s focused on:
- Strengthening ties with "like-minded" regional players (like Serbia).
- Pushing back against what he calls "LGBTQ+ ideology."
- Defending the government’s decision to pause EU accession talks until 2028.
It's a far cry from the pro-European path the country was on a decade ago.
What happens next?
The situation is honestly kinda stuck. The opposition is fractured. The government has a firm grip on the levers of power.
But the street hasn't given up. You still see EU flags flying from balconies in Vake and Saburtalo. There’s a sense that the country is holding its breath for the next major election cycle or a potential shift in the regional security landscape.
If you're watching Georgia, keep an eye on how the EU treats Kavelashvili's administration in the coming months. If the "disputed" label starts to fade and formal recognition becomes the norm, the opposition's strategy will have to shift completely.
Actionable Insights for Following Georgian Politics:
- Watch the Orbeliani Palace: This is the official residence. Who is inside and who is protesting outside tells you everything about the current temperature.
- Check the Venice Commission: This body of legal experts often weighs in on the legitimacy of Georgia's constitutional tweaks. Their reports are the "gold standard" for international law.
- Monitor the 2028 Timeline: The government claims they are just "pausing" the EU bid. Whether Kavelashvili starts reopening those doors or closing them tighter will be the defining story of his term.
- Follow Independent Media: Outlets like Civil.ge or OC Media provide much more nuance than the state-run channels which are currently under heavy fire for bias.
The story of the Republic of Georgia President isn't just about one man; it's about a country's soul being tugged between the West and a more authoritarian, traditionalist future. It's a wild ride, and it's nowhere near over.