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 was formally inaugurated president of Georgia on Sunday, as the ruling party tightened its grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s EU aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia.

The new president is set to be inaugurated on Sunday, but the current president is refusing to step down.

Mikheil Kavelashvili was sworn in as Georgian president in a ceremony in parliament in Tbilisi on Sunday, despite weeks of protests and the refusal of his predecessor, Salome Zourabichvili, to stand aside.