A former Manchester City footballer has been appointed president by the Georgian parliament. The appointment comes after 17 days of pro-EU protests that have swept the country.
Mikheil Kavelashvili, now 53, is a former deputy from the increasingly authoritarian ruling Georgian Dream party and was the only candidate for the job.
On Saturday, 224 of Georgia's 225 electoral college members voted for him.
Meanwhile, the country's four main opposition groups have opposed Kavelashvili and boycotted parliament, insisting the October election was rigged.
Large crowds of protesters, despite freezing temperatures, gathered outside parliament from the early hours of Saturday morning ahead of the vote.
The outgoing pro-Western president of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, has condemned Kavelashvili's election as absurd. According to her, she runs the only legitimate institution in Georgia. (A2 Televizion)
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