Former Man City striker becomes president of Georgia

Georgia's presidents are elected by an assembly of parliamentarians and local government representatives. Of the 225 members of the assembly, 224 voted for Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was the only candidate nominated.

According to resources, Kavelashvili, a former professional football player has strong anti-Western views. He has stated time and time again in public speeches this year that Western intelligence services are attempting to incite Georgia to war with Russia.

Kavelashvili was nominated for the presidency last month by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former Georgian prime minister.

 Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Georgian parliament building ahead of the presidential election, according to the report. Some protesters played soccer in the street and waved red cards at the parliament building, a mocking reference to Kavelashvili 's sports career.

As a player, he was a striker who notably played in the Premier League for Manchester City and in the Swiss Super League for Grasshoppers and Basel.