Saakashvili to return to Ukraine today with renewed citizenship

Mikheil Saakashvili, the former Georgian president who
was denied Ukrainian citizenship after leading a protest movement, will return
to Ukraine today. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a decree on May 28
restoring Saakashvili’s Ukrainian citizenship after his predecessor, Petro
Poroshenko, issued a decree stripping him of his citizenship in July 2017,
based on alleged incorrect information in his application. At that time,
Saakashvili was in the U.S. and planning to return to Ukraine for a maidan
protest. Saakashvili broke through Ukraine’s border with Poland in September
2017, only to be detained and forcibly deported in February 2018.

In response, Saakashvili thanked Zelenskiy for
renewing his citizenship, telling Ukrainian television the same evening that he
doesn’t intend to compete for a government post. “I don’t have any political
ambitions because I have already been in all posts,” Saakashvili told the 112
Ukraine television network. “I have seen everything. I will be very careful
when I will agree to something. I went through that. I saw how that looks like,
and I’m not fighting for any posts.” In an interview with the rbc.ru news site,
Saakashvili said he supports Zelenskiy and his team as “a great chance for
Ukraine, a new leader in the post-Soviet space.” He added, “I don’t have
professional ambitions, but at the same time, I will continue my struggle
against corruption, against the oligarchy and injustice – in Ukraine, Georgia
and everywhere.”

Saakashvili won’t be invited to join The People’s Servant
party led by President Zelenskiy, Party Head Dmytro Razumkov told the 112
Ukraine television network on May 28. A citizen must have lived in Ukraine for
at least five years in order to join a political party, Razumkov said, adding
that Saakashvili can compete for parliament independent of any party.

Recall, Saakashvili was granted Ukrainian citizenship
by Poroshenko in May 2015 in order to appoint him as Odesa regional
administration head. Saakashvili resigned the post in November 2016, alleging
corruption, and joined opposition protests against the Poroshenko
administration. In February 2017, he registered a political party, the Movement
of New Forces, and led protests in central Kyiv calling for Poroshenko’s
impeachment that autumn, before being deported.

Zenon Zawada: Saakashvili
is being allowed to return to Ukraine so quickly after Zelenskiy’s election
because he poses no political threat to the president, as he did to Poroshenko
during the protests of October 2017-Februrary 2018. At that time, Saakashvili
was able to capitalize on pent-up public resentment against Poroshenko, when no
other popular opposition leader was willing to lead protests.

After being deported however, Saakashvili lost his
political momentum, which was swept up by Zelenskiy. He no longer has a large
base of support and won’t be able to lead a party in the parliament elections.
So the best he can hope for is to win a single-mandate district to become an
MP. We don’t believe his claim that he doesn’t have political ambitions. He
will quickly turn on Zelenskiy (as he did with Poroshenko) if the president
doesn’t show results.