Rada to consider Saakashvili as deputy prime minister at Apr. 24 session

Mikheil Saakashvili, the former Georgian president and
Odesa regional administration head, will meet with the MPs of The People’s
Servant faction ahead of the Apr. 24 special session in order to convince them
to approve his candidacy for deputy prime minister for reforms, the
pravda.com.ua news site reported on Apr. 22, citing its anonymous source in the
faction. Saakashvili will be nominated at the session if he draws the support
of 70% of the faction MPs, the report said.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has already met with
Saakashvili to discuss his vision on how he can help the government in
Ukraine’s development, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Apr. 22,
citing the press service of the President’s Office. “Mikheil Saakashvili is
well-known on the international arena and has already shown his experience of
successfully introducing reforms. President Zelensky believes that Mr.
Saakashvili has the potential to support the government of Ukraine, and
suggested that he share his vision and proposals with the government and
parliament of Ukraine,” said the statement by the President’s Office.

Saakashvili confirmed in a Facebook post the same day
that he received a proposal from Zelensky to become deputy prime minister for
reforms, adding that he had a lengthy discussion with Prime Minister Shmyhal.
“As never before, we need to be brave in our decisions and reforms,” he wrote.
In a television appearance the evening of Apr. 22, Saakashvili assured the
public he would not clash with President Zelensky as he had with his
predecessor, Petro Poroshenko. “That is complete nonsense. Let no one even hope
that I will be attacking him,” he said.

Zenon Zawada: The sudden
re-emergence of Saakashvili as a player in Ukrainian politics reveals several
things. Firstly, the current key players – President Zelensky, President’s
Office Head Andriy Yermak and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal – have their own
enormous responsibilities and aren’t capable of conducting widescale reforms.
And for someone as conflictual and abrasive as Saakashvili to be even
considered for a high cabinet post reveals a dearth of capable and talented
personnel, regardless of how talented Saakashvili may prove to be. And thirdly,
this reveals Zelensky’s ongoing attempt to distance himself from Ihor
Kolomoisky, the billionaire widely recognized to have sponsored his
presidential campaign.

So far, it’s safe to say that at least 10% of the
248 People’s Servant MPs will firmly oppose Saakashvili’s nomination. They
belong to the group loyal to billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky, who despises
Saakashvili. We can’t access the likelihood of Saakashvili becoming approved as
deputy prime minister, but we can say confidently that he will eventually
become the de facto prime minister within weeks of being appointed, given his
penchant for grandstanding before the cameras. And we can expect a serious
attempt at widescale reforms, at the same scale as in Georgia.