The more the days pass, the more the embarrassment of Georgian power grows: what to do with Mikheil Saakashvili? For more than ten days the former President of Georgia and leader of the main opposition party, 53, has been on hunger strike in a prison not far from the capital, Tbilisi. 1er October, he took everyone by surprise by returning illegally to the country after eight years in exile. The leader of the “rose revolution” in 2003 intended to support the opposition on the eve of crucial local elections on October 2, considered a test for the ruling party, Georgian Dream, founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, great rival of Mr. Saakashvili.
After a few hours of hesitation, disbelief and panic at the top of the state, the former president, sentenced in absentia in 2018 for ” abuse of power “ in a case that he considers political, was arrested. A photo of his arrest, the day before the poll, shows him framed by two men, handcuffed, but wearing a broad smile, as a challenge to his political opponents. According to his doctor, who spoke Sunday, October 10 with doctors from the prison, his state of health has deteriorated since, to the point that he should ” probably “ be transferred to hospital.
Amazing return
For the government, the incredible return of its sworn enemy is a new source of embarrassment, as a serious political crisis has shaken the country since the disputed legislative elections of October 2020. “The power must now manage three problems at the same time: Saakashvili in prison, the municipal elections [dont le deuxième tour est prévu le 30 octobre], and the political crisis which has continued for a year, while trying to show that it is in control of the situation, against the backdrop of criticism from its Western partners ”, analysis Olesya Vartanyan, researcher at the International Crisis Group. The government’s challenge is all the greater as discontent has won over a large part of the population, tired of Georgian Dreams after nine years of reign and promises deemed unfulfilled.
The return of Mr. Saakashvili, who was living in exile in Ukraine, caused a “Earthquake in the political landscape”, according to the researcher. Voting intentions in favor of his party, United National Movement (MNU), immediately jumped 10%. “All those who vote Georgian Dream not out of ideology but out of interest – because they get money in exchange for their vote or because they are the victims of intimidation – have started to dissociate themselves, explains Thorniké Gordadzé, researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). The electoral machine which allows Georgian Dream to win in the elections has faltered. “
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