Tuesday, November 2 2021 16:30

ArmInfo.  The third president of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, will go the whole hog. Almost everyone was convinced of this, including the opposition, which did  not believe in his such intentions yesterday.  Gela Vasadze, a  leading expert of the Georgian Center for Strategic Analysis (GSAC)  expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.  

"Evidence of my words is the unification of almost all political  parties around Saakashvili and general discontent with the current  government in the country, especially in large cities, especially  after the last elections. This will definitely have a positive impact  for the opposition. The negative impact is that countries with  "hybrid" democracy do not affect the legitimacy of power in the eyes  of international observers. Considering the importance of such cases  as the Black Sea security and the South Caucasus for the US and the  EU, spoiling relations with Tbilisi is now absolutely not in their  interests, "he stressed.  

According to the results of the second round of municipal elections  in Georgia, according to the CEC, in 19 out of 20 cities in which  elections were held, mayoral candidates from the ruling party  "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia" won.  Basically, the GM was  opposed by representatives of the largest opposition force, the  United National Movement (UNM), who won only in one city. The  opposition did not recognize the election results and announced its  intention to "fight to the bitter end." 

Nevertheless, according to the political analyst, in fact, the  opposition actually won not in one, but at least in three more cities  - Batumi, Zugdidi and Kutaisi. And without fundamentally changing the  situation, this fact gives the opposition a legitimate reason for  protests. Thus, the ruling party, according to Vasadze, created a  revolutionary situation in the country with its own hands. And  without claiming that this particular situation will end with a  change of power, in his opinion, one can state that the government  has much bigger problems than it had yesterday.  

Thus, the only trigger in this whole story, in Vasadze's opinion, is  still the fate of Mikhail Saakashvili. Even while in prison,  Saakashvili has already changed and continues to change the political  situation in Georgia. And today, the main question that both his  supporters and opponents are asking is the question of Saakashvili's  life and death.  

According to the political scientist, the former president today is  really sacrificing himself, and the government is still hesitating  between killing him and making concessions.  

"Murder is a terrible prospect, but giving in is even more terrible,  since such a concession could cost the GM power.  Refusal to make  concessions, a tragic ending can lead to unpredictable consequences  not only for the government, but for the entire country. Accordingly,  the second stage of local elections, with of all its importance, is  not the most important. I do not recall such a complicated internal  political situation in Georgia.  Not only Saakashvili's life is under  threat, Georgia is under the threat of a civil war, "Vasadze summed  up.  

Georgia has been in a political crisis for over a year. The results  of last year's parliamentary elections were not recognized by any  opposition party, and the elected deputies are boycotting the  meetings, the head of the European Council Charles Michel had to  intervene in the situation to find a way out of the political  impasse. In April, the ruling Georgian Dream and the opposition  reached an agreement under which the ruling party, if it wins less  than 43% of the vote in local elections, promised to re-elect  parliament in 2022.