“Saakashvili can return to his country”

Mikheil Saakashvili, the third president of Georgia and current governor of Odessa, believes that United National Movement will win the next elections and he will go back to Georgia.

An important piece appeared on the website of Vestnik Kavkaza on Saakashvili’s recent commentaries. “There are two forces: one is related to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the second is related to me, there is no one else at this stage. Everything else is just an imitation,” he said the Rustavi 2 TV channel and added, “There is no choice between Georgia and Ukraine, the only choice is a united bright future.”

Georgian MP Giorgi Baramidze said, “Despite the fact that the former president is not the leader of the United National Movement after he was deprived of Georgian citizenship, the party still listens to his opinion about the formation of electoral lists for the upcoming parliamentary elections, which will be held in the autumn of 2016,” the website cited from Sputnik Georgia.

The political scientist Giorgi Nodia said that people are not satisfied with the current politicians, thus, Saakashvili can get a new chance. “Of course, if the Georgian Dream remains in power, Saakashvili won’t be able to return to Georgia, as his current statements are the support of the United National Movement at the upcoming parliamentary elections. Now the Georgian Dream and the United National Movement have similar ratings, but a large number of voters has not decided yet. The situation, when the UNM forms the coalition with the help of other parties and receives a coalition majority in the parliament and the Georgian Dream loses, is quite realistic,” he said in the interview with Vestnik Kavkaza.

The piece covers counter arguments from different professionals on this issue, too.