TBILISI -- The Georgian capital is bracing for another large opposition protest, and possible police violence, after an electoral college dominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party appointed far-right politician and former soccer star Mikheil Kavelashvili as president.
Kavelashvili was declared by Georgia's Central Election Commission as the winner of a contentious indirect election on December 14 after receiving 224 votes out of 225 delegates in attendance.
SEE ALSO: The Bitter Standoff Over Georgia's Next PresidentThere are a total of 300 delegates in Georgia's electoral college, but opposition members did not attend the vote.
The vote came as demonstrators gathered in central Tbilisi outside the parliament building to continue protests over parliamentary elections held on October 26 that the country's current president and opposition have refused to accept and say was rigged.
Areas near Georgia's parliament building were cordoned off and traffic halted ahead of the electoral-college vote as opposition protesters gathered for another round of demonstrations amid a heavy police presence.
The 53-year-old Kavelashvili, the only candidate for the largely ceremonial post, is known for his vehement anti-Western diatribes and opposition to LGBT rights.
Kavelashvili is now set to replace President Salome Zurabishvili, who has sided with pro-EU protesters who have taken to the streets across the country in large demonstrations every day for more than two weeks.
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Zurabishvili, who has been a thorn in the ruling party's side and has criticized Georgian Dream for its increasingly authoritarian stance, has said she will refuse to leave office after her successor is inaugurated on December 29.
"What will happen in parliament tomorrow is a parody -- it will be an event entirely devoid of legitimacy, unconstitutional, and illegitimate," Zurabishvili told a press conference on December 13.
She has previously said the elections were manipulated with the help of Russia.
"We are witnesses and victims of a Russian special operation, a modern form of hybrid war against the Georgian people," the 72-year-old declared after parliamentary elections in October.
Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers in the Caucasus country have refused to recognize the result of the parliamentary elections, claiming Georgian Dream rigged the vote to cling to power, and are boycotting parliament.
The political crisis erupted after Georgian Dream claimed victory in the elections and intensified after its decision last month to delay negotiations on Georgia joining the European Union.
The authorities have responded violently to the large demonstrations, arresting hundreds of people over the past two weeks and closely watching participants with Chinese-made surveillance cameras with facial-recognition capabilities. Another rally took place in Tbilisi on December 13 and more unrest is expected on December 14.
Protesters gathered early on December 14 near the Philharmonic Hall and began marching toward the parliament building less than 2 kilometers away.
Traffic on central Rustaveli Avenue, which links the two sites, was halted and police were mobilized near the parliament building and the nearby Freedom Square.
As the electoral college commenced its indirect vote in the parliament building, Zurabishvili made a brief appearance on Rustaveli Avenue but told gathered journalists only that "I've said everything, I am going to work now."
Gathered protesters chanted "Salome! Salome!" and displayed their diplomas in keeping with calls for them to "show your diploma to Kavelashvili," who reportedly does not have higher education.
Protesters also mockingly held up "red cards" against the former soccer star in a nod to penalties handed out for infractions in the sport.
RFE/RL journalists at the scene reported that new crowd-control barriers were set up in front of the parliament building and extended in into Rustaveli Avenue. The government plans to light a Christmas tree in the area later in the evening, when protests usually hit their peak.
The recent violence against the opposition and journalists has drawn condemnation from the United States and the European Union.
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The U.S. State Department on December 12 imposed more visa restrictions on Georgian officials for "undermining democracy" in the country. The move will affect about 20 individuals serving in government positions, the department said in a statement without naming them.
"We are committed to seeing that senior officials responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy will be subject to visa restrictions," the statement said.
The U.S. statement reiterated that Washington "strongly condemns the Georgian Dream party’s ongoing, brutal, and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, including protesters, members of the media, human rights activists, and opposition figures."
President Emmanuel Macron on December 12 reiterated France's backing for Georgia's EU aspirations and voiced solidarity with protesters.
"I would like to reiterate our full support for Georgia's European path and for the defenders of democracy," Macron said at a press briefing with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw.
He also expressed concern over "the repression of young people, the disturbing statements of the head of government and, in essence, the betrayal of the European path so quickly after the elections."
In power since 2012, Georgian Dream was founded by Russian-friendly billionaire and ex-Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Earlier this year, Georgian Dream pushed through a so-called "foreign agent" law modeled on a similar Russian piece of legislation used by the Kremlin to stifle political opposition and repress critics.