Georgia's opposition leaders have urged the EU to reject the pro-Russian presidential candidate and take broader steps to support European values in the country, Sova news outlet reports. In their joint letter,

The four largest opposition forces in Georgia have appealed to the European Union against the backdrop of the approval of the Georgian Dream candidate and ex-footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili as the new president.

The vote sets up Mikheil Kavelashvili to replace a pro-Western incumbent amid protests against the government over a halt to EU accession talks.

The presidential election in Georgia, held for the first time without a direct popular vote, resulted in the election of former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili, the sole candidate put forward by a pro-government party,

Georgian lawmakers elected Mikheil Kavelashvili, a hardline critic of the West, as president on Saturday, setting him up to replace a pro-Western incumbent amid major protests against the government over a halt to the country’s European Union accession talks last month.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has commented on the appointment of former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili as the next head of state. Notably, Kavelashvili was the only candidate for the post.