Parliamentarians in the former Soviet republic of Georgia on Saturday voted for a ruling party candidate known to be critical of the West as the country’s new president.
The president-elect, Mikheil Kavelashvili, is a former professional soccer player.
The vote took place amid demonstrations that started after the ruling Georgian Dream party decided to suspend talks on joining the European Union.
Outside the parliament building, protesters demanding membership in the EU held red cards to express their opposition to the selection of Kavelashvili.
One of the protesters called the selection the latest radical decision by the ruling party, and said the country will face a disaster-like situation.
Another expressed fear that the government will have total power under the new president, and Georgia will move closer to Russia.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze from the ruling party announced the decision to suspend the EU accession talks on November 28. He won reelection after parliamentary elections in October.
Georgia has been seeking to join the EU for years. People demanding EU membership have been holding rallies in the capital Tbilisi over consecutive days.
The pro-Western opposition says there were electoral violations in the October election. It put up no presidential candidate and did not partake in voting.
President Salome Zourabichvili, who supports EU membership, is stepping up her criticisms against the ruling party. She says she does not accept the ballot and plans to stay on in the position after her term expires in the middle of this month.
Meanwhile, the prime minister held a news conference on Saturday, citing Ukraine’s protest that led to the collapse of its pro-Russian government in 2014.
He said that the Maidan revolution has failed and will never happen in Georgia.
Fears are mounting that turmoil in Georgia will deepen in the lead up to the inauguration on December 29.