Mikheil Kavelashvili, a hardline critic of the West, was sworn in as president of Georgia on Sunday amid a political crisis after the government froze European Union application talks in a move that sparked major protests.

Mikheil Kavelashvili, an ally of Georgia’s authoritarian ruling party, has been sworn in as president of the Caucasus country, sparking more protests in the capital Tbilisi. Kavelashvili’s inauguration marks the final step in what critics have described as a state capture by pro-Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili,

Former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili has been inaugurated as president of Georgia in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s EU aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russi