Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called Mikhail Kavelashvili “the country's first mentally and psychologically balanced president in the last 20 years,” Novosti-Georgia reported.

“For more than 20 years, Georgia has not had a patriotic, mentally and psychologically balanced president. In this respect, the presidency of Mikhail Kavelashvili will be a turning point for our country,” Kobakhidze said in his congratulatory address to Kavelashvili.

According to the Georgian Prime Minister, for 20 years “hostile external forces” have been using the institution of the president to divide the society and “artificially weaken the constitutional order” of the country.

Kobakhidze expressed confidence that with Kavelashvili's election, “the institution will return to its constitutional mission with dignity,” and it will “make a significant contribution to strengthening Georgian statehood and sovereignty” and contribute to “reducing radicalism and polarization.”