The New Adventures of Saakashvili in Ukraine

Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza

The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party has not recovered from the shock yet after the controversial departure from his post of Zurab Japaridze, its Executive Secretary, and some of his supporters. Then it was informed about the appointment of the chairman of the party, Mikheil Saakashvili, to the post of governor of the Odessa region of Ukraine.

Moreover, Georgian experts do not exclude that these two events are linked. The point is that recently Saakashvili refused to take any official position in Ukraine. He confessed in an interview with journalist Nanook Zhorzholiani, who arrived in Kiev, that President Poroshenko offered him the post of first vice-premier of the Ukrainian government on structural and economic reforms. This proposal was made by the head of Ukraine after the sudden death of the famous reformer Kakha Bendukidze in London, who had a similar post in Georgia. However Saakashvili refused, explaining clearly the reason for his refusal in an interview for the Nanook Show. "I do not want to change my citizenship of Georgia," the former president said.

According to Ukrainian law, a foreigner who does not have a Ukrainian passport cannot hold a public-political post in Ukraine. Therefore, Saakashvili was content with the post of Head of the International Advisory Board of Reforms under the President, because the work in this position did not require such a sacrifice as forfeiting Georgian citizenship. According to Georgian legislation, a person who receives the citizenship of another country automatically loses Georgian citizenship.

However, to all appearances, President Poroshenko went on insisting on Saakashvili becoming an active member of his team. Why and for what purpose is another question. Probably in order to use the image of Saakashvili as a reformer for strengthening his position in the most part of Odessa and in the West. But the former Georgian leader went on refusing. According to some reports, Saakashvili received the next offer to become the head of Odessa a few weeks ago. It is no coincidence that he took part in the so-called "Manifestation of Embroidery", which was held in Odessa. However, Mikheil Saakashvili continued to refuse.

He agreed only at the events that took place last Monday, when ‘‘the group of four leaders’’ of the UND, headed by Zurab Dzhaparidze, left the party and formed a new political movement. And one of the main complaints of the "splitters" about the party's political council was the excessive influence of Mikheil Saakashvili (who has been living in exile since 2012) on the life of the party. According to Dzaparidze, "a renewal of the party is the necessity of the time.’’

Saakashvili realized that the split in the UNM nullified the chances of a return to power of the former ruling party. His time in Georgia has actually passed. That is why he finally took Petro Poroshenko’s proposal.

It means that Saakashvili is neither able to lead the UNM, nor even to be an ordinary member of the party, nor be involved in politics in any other form. The Law of Georgia on "Political Unions of Citizens" prohibits foreign citizens to lead political activity in the country. Moreover, Mikheil Saakashvili loses this right even if the current president Giorgi Margvelashvili announces a special decree in order to allow Saakashvili to receive a second (Georgian) citizenship. It is possible that Saakashvili will address the receiver with such a request, but even if it is satisfied, Saakashvili won’t be able to return to his influential positions in the Georgian political arena. 

Apparently, it was not easy for him to take this decision. He said in many interviews that he cannot imagine himself without Georgia, and he is ready to "fight for it." "Georgia is waiting our rescue," Saakashvili noted. And now, after the appointment of the governor of one of the regions of Ukraine, the ex-president says he is ready to use his position in order to develop economic relations between Georgia and the Odessa region.

Indeed, the scale of the Odessa region is half that of Georgia, and it is possible to find some potential for economic cooperation. One of the leaders of the UNM, Giorgi Vashadze, also promised that the appointment of Mikheil Saakashvili as governor would benefit Georgia and its economy.

According to Vestnik Kavkaza, many members of his "young reformers" team, experts in the field of ‘‘PR-technologies", will continue to work with Saakashvili in Odessa. It is possible to foresee that there will be a lot of public speaking, vivid presentations, sensational revelations of "corrupt officials in the port of Odessa.’’ Will Saakashvili’s resources manage to make reforms in the "Georgian style" in one region of the big country, which is experiencing an acute crisis of statehood? We will see in the near future.