tv BBC News BBC News December 14, 2024 2:00pm-2:31pm GMT
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a former manchester city footballer has been elected in a vote in georgia's parliament, despite denunciations from the incumbent president and the pro—eu opposition that the process is illegitimate. mikheil kavelashvili is a former mp from the increasingly authoritarian ruling georgian dream party and was the only candidate for the job. it comes after 17 days of pro—eu protests across the country's towns and cities. this is the scene live outside the parliament building. the four main opposition groups have rejected kavelashvili and have boycotted parliament, insisting that the elections held in october were rigged. our south caucasus and central asia correspondent rayhan demytrie is outside parliament in the georgian capital, tblisi.
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this announcement, this vote within the parliament of the president of georgia, the new president, will only add fire to the protesters who are outside already?- outside already? these protesters _ outside already? these protesters do - outside already? these protesters do not - outside already? these - protesters do not recognise mikheil kavelashvili as their country's new president. they are voting took place earlier today, it was the electoral couege today, it was the electoral college which consists of members largely loyal to the georgian dream party. pretty much everyone voted in favour of mikheil kavelashvili. he is the candidate who was proposed by the ruling party and currently in georgia's parliament, there is only one party, it is the georgian dream, the ruling party, because the opposition is boycotting the parliament, citing vote rigging in october parliamentary elections. it is
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very cold in tbilisi, the georgian capital, but despite that we are seeing more people joining the protests and there have nightly protests here for more than two weeks. earlier, some people were kicking a football as a kind ofjoke and say that mikheil kavelashvili perhaps, he was a good footballer in his previous career but they do not believe that he is fit to be the country's next president. they were holding red cards and also people here saying that he is not qualified to be the next head of state. all of this is happening with the incumbent president who earlier today walks past the protest area and she was cheered by the crowd. she has said that she won't be stepping down and she won't be leaving her office because she considers the current parliament a legitimate and
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anti constitutional. in the main the main demand for the protest is hit in the street from the opposition and the president is to hold new elections. they say this is the only way out of the current political crisis.— only way out of the current political crisis. just in terms of this vote _ political crisis. just in terms of this vote by _ political crisis. just in terms of this vote by the - political crisis. just in terms of this vote by the georgian j of this vote by the georgian parliament, this has been a change in the way that georgian presidents are elected. just help us to understand how that has been changed because previously, this would have been a popular vote whereas now it is an electoral college. that is right. mikheil kavelashvili is the first president to be elected via the electoral college but he is the third presidential candidate who has been nominated by the ruling georgian dream party. this party has been in power since 2012 and two previous presidential candidates that were nominated by the party became presidents by popular
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vote. they became critics of the governing party and particularly of the founder of the party, billionaire founder. so mikheil kavelashvili are seen by the ruling party as a loyalist and a short while ago, the country's prime minister said that for many years, this country did not have a president who is mentally and psychologically, as he said, set to be the head of state and he said that mikheil kavelashvili will be such president.— kavelashvili will be such resident. ., , president. for the time being, thank you _ president. for the time being, thank you very _ president. for the time being, thank you very much. - president. for the time being, thank you very much. rayhanl thank you very much. rayhan demytrie on the streets of tbilisi. as you can see, once again protesters out on the street in georgia. let's speak to investigative journalist in georgia, katie tutberidze. you have tried to interview former manchester city football player. what can you tell us
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about this man?— player. what can you tell us about this man? thank you for our about this man? thank you for your interest _ about this man? thank you for your interest with _ about this man? thank you for your interest with georgia - about this man? thank you for your interest with georgia and | your interest with georgia and thank you to yourjournalistic correspondence who are covering the ongoing dramatic processes in georgia because according to the thousands of people, georgia is going through one of the most dramatic moment in its history. mikheil kavelashvili. this man has not got a political background from the previous georgian presidents because the first president of independent georgia had anti—soviet background and salome zourabichvili, the incumbent president, she is highly qualified diplomat. as a journalist has already mentioned, mikheil kavelashvili is not considered as legitimate president of georgia by the thousands of georgian citizens.
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mikheil kavelashvili is a man who is quite unfriendly to media. me and my colleagues, i will say about my story with him, i tried to take an interview with him when he was an mp at georgian parliament. it was in april, i guess and he did not answer. he didn't answer and he never answers. he is quite unfriendly to the human rights organisations in media and to his colleagues from the oppositional party. he is a footballer and he has no diploma. it is proved that he has no higher education, which is something very special and respected for the thousands of people in georgia. and i would like to emphasise that when government, the georgian dream,
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when they called him as any nominee for the presidency, they said that the major criteria as his loyalty to georgian dream, to the real governor of georgian dream. so the major criteria wasn't his diploma, his political background, just loyalty. so background, 'ust loyalty. so ou are background, just loyalty. so you are saying he is very loyal to georgian dream and we know that when it comes to georgian dream, those elections at the end of october, they are being disputed and that is why we are seeing all of these thousands of people night after night on the streets of tbilisi and other towns across georgia. just in terms of those elections, as an investigative journalist, did you see any irregularities? because the european parliament as saying that there are irregularities but outside external bodies said that arguably, they were
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democratically processed elections. the osce who overlooks these elections, said that they were held fairly, they were democratic? i work for a monitor _ they were democratic? i work for a monitor and _ they were democratic? i work for a monitor and me - they were democratic? i work for a monitor and me and - they were democratic? i work for a monitor and me and my| fora monitorand me and my colleagues who were investigating, we proved the fact that it was a rigged election. that is why thousands of people are now standing in the streets. they do not consider parliament as legitimate parliament and government as legitimate government as legitimate government of georgia and now we are witnessing that only one party represents the parliament of georgia, which is i would say, a showcase of authoritarian regime and for many years, the western partners of georgia were considered georgia as three
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child democracy but today, many experts and politicians and human rights defending are talking about this, the hybrid authoritarianism in georgia that we are witnessing in georgia in the last two weeks that around 400 to demonstrators have been arrested in more than 300 are victims of psychological and physical abuse. and i interviewed several of them. they are talking about threats of rape, young activists, human rights defenders, green activists, lgbt activists, they are talking about the threat of are talking about the threat of a rape by riot police, where they were detained. we also made investigative film about it. ., made investigative film about it. . , it. katie tutberidze, investigative - it. katie tutberidze, i investigative journalist joining us live from tbilisi,
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thank you so much. of course, we will continue to monitor the scenes in georgia where thousands of people are out on the streets in protest. thousands of people have been celebrating on the streets of seoul after south korea's parliament voted to impeach the president. yoon suk yeol�*s future was thrown into crisis earlier this month when he tried to impose martial law on the country. the move was seen as the biggest test south korea's democracy has faced. our correspondentjean mckenzie is in the capital seoul. cheering in a moment, a protest erupted into a street party as the people of south korea rejoiced in the downfall of a president many have long despised. they'd accused him of being authoritarian, of eroding their democracy. yet no one could have guessed what he had planned. when mr yoon suddenly stole from the playbook of past military dictators,
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dispatching troops to storm the parliament, placing this country under martial law, he committed his final unforgivable act. the biting temperatures would have been enough to force many indoors. but armed with hot packs and glow sticks, they came in mass for the 11th day in a row. young women leading the protests. 100%, he must be impeached. as the vote to impeach mr yoon got under way, a solemn warning from parliament speaker. "the weight of your ballot is heavy today. it carries the weight of history, the weight of democracy," he says. enough mps heeded his words. the motion passed by just four votes. the irony here tonight is that president yoon always said that he didn't care about being popular
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with people or with his party. he wanted to do things his own way, and he didn't mind who he upset. but people in south korea have shown him tonight that in a democracy, in their democracy, you cannot act alone, however much you might try. a dictator. president yoon is now disappear. so happy. translation: i'm so emotional. his presidency has been so hard and i'm glad we don't need to suffer in this cult anymore. to suffer in this cold anymore. today's verdict doesn't mean the president is gone for good. for now, he's suspended. the final decision rests with the courts. and tonight, mr yoon has said he's determined to fight on. this is the biggest threat korea's young democracy has everfaced and its past.
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their persistence has paid off. the politicians have listened. and tonight, this is their victory. jean mckenzie, bbc news, seoul. let's speak to katherine moon, professor of political studies, wellesley college. just in terms of this vote, it was pretty tight. what does that say about the appetite to impeach him? i that say about the appetite to impeach him?— that say about the appetite to impeach him? i would disagree that it was _ impeach him? i would disagree that it was tight _ impeach him? i would disagree that it was tight because - impeach him? i would disagree that it was tight because we . that it was tight because we knew that the ruling party, a good majority of them are trying to back him but i am actually surprised that more went over to join the went over tojoin the opposition parties in order to impeach president he in. i think they heeded the call of the people who are unnerved and very distressed by the martial law declaration and have been putting a lot of pressure publicly and privately for legislators to take action to
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impeach president yoon. what ha--ens impeach president yoon. what happens next _ impeach president yoon. what happens next following - impeach president yoon. what happens next following this vote? , , , ., vote? or his presidential owers vote? or his presidential powers and _ vote? or his presidential powers and authority - vote? or his presidential powers and authority are suspended for some the current prime minister is now the acting president which helps secure some sense of stability and a chain of command in korean politics and governance, but as far as the impeachment process goes, though, is attentional talk that he might —— the constitutional court will decide whether he should be impeached, whether there are legitimate grounds. they have six months to do that. we are sure that as far as president yoon goes, the way he is acting now, the president will be trying to fight for his political life. he is well—versed in the legal processes since he once had served as prosecutor general
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the country. but if i could just add that the constitutional court right now is missing three seats, three justices. there is a vacancy, three vacancies that need to be filled. the question is whether the six out of nine hill are available will vote unanimously to impeach or endorse the impeachment by the national assembly or whether the national assembly will need to appoint three more justices very quickly. so it is still a precarious situation. when it comes to _ precarious situation. when it comes to south _ precarious situation. when it comes to south korea, - precarious situation. when it comes to south korea, howl precarious situation. when it - comes to south korea, how does the constitutional court work? is it politicised as we are seeing increasingly more countries, pack their own sway judges into those constitutional courts? is south korea similar to that or is it korea similar to t
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