TBILISI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th April, 2021) Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili announced on Tuesday his plans to return to his home country ahead of the municipal elections scheduled for October, and called on his supporters to prepare for his arrival.
The announcement came after the Georgian authorities and the opposition publicly signed on Monday an agreement, proposed by European Council President Charles Michel, to overcome the prolonged political crisis in the country. The deal includes, among other things, new rules for distributing parliamentary posts, and the possibility of calling early parliamentary elections in 2022 if the ruling Georgian Dream party gains less than 43% of the votes in the local elections this fall.
"I will definitely come to Georgia ahead of the autumn referendum [elections]. This is my promise to the Georgian people now. I want our supporters to prepare for this, for my arrival. I fully take all the risks, but I come to you to win," Saakashvili said in a video address posted on his Facebook account.
Saakashvili, who served as the president of Georgia from 2004 to 2013, left the country in 2013 due to several criminal charges brought against him. Tbilisi has since repeatedly said that the ex-leader would be arrested if he returned to Georgia.
