If the former Georgia the president Mikhail Saakashvili will arrive in Georgia, he will be detained, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili warned on Tuesday.
–
–
Content will continue after the ad
Advertising
–
“As soon as Saakashvili sets foot in our country, he will be detained and sent to prison,” the prime minister told reporters, commenting on Saakashvili’s intention to arrive in Georgia on October 2.
“Saakashvili has been convicted in absentia and deserves imprisonment,” Garibashvili added. “His hopes that people will take to the streets and protect him are false.”
“Today, our country is strong, and today is not the year 2003 when he came to power due to chaos and instability. Any provocation will be prevented within the law,” the prime minister stressed.
Saakashvili has told social networks that he has bought a flight ticket from Kiev to Tbilisi on October 2, when local elections are held in Georgia.
He called on his supporters to take to the streets of towns and villages after the election to “defend the victory”.
Saakashvili, the founder of the United National Movement, Georgia’s largest opposition force, has been declared indicted in Georgia on charges of abuse of office. Saakashvili rejects the accusations, calling them politically motivated.
Georgia plunged into political chaos last year after the parliamentary elections, in which the ruling party “Georgia’s Dream” won by a small majority. The opposition claims that the election results have been falsified.
In May, a cross-party agreement was reached between European Council President Charles Michel, in which the “Georgia Dream” promised to hold early parliamentary elections if the municipal elections received less than 43% of the vote on Saturday.
However, in July, the ruling party unilaterally abandoned the agreement, calling it sharp European Union (ES) and US criticism.
In a video message on Monday, Saakashvili said the agreement reached through the EU was valid, saying the forthcoming elections were a referendum on [“Gruzijas sapņa dibinātāja Bidzinas] Ivanishvili suspended from power “.
Oligarch Ivanishvili, Georgia’s richest man and former prime minister, is still widely held to lead the country’s main proceedings, although he himself claims to be no longer involved in politics.
Critics accuse him of using law enforcement to punish political opponents and critical journalists.
With growing concerns in the West about the ruling party’s adherence to democratic principles, the United States has hinted that sanctions may be imposed on Georgia’s dream officials.
–
