Georgian authorities say they will arrest former President Mikheil Saakashvili if he returns to the country.
Saakashvili announced on Monday that he planned to fly to Georgia for the weekend’s local elections.
The 53-year-old, who served as president from 2004 to 2013, has been accused by the Georgian judiciary of abuse of power.
The founder of the main opposition United National Movement (UNM) party has been living in exile in Ukraine.
He states that the case is political and posted a photo on Facebook of a plane ticket to Tbilisi for Saturday night’s vote.
“I will be in Tbilisi to protect your electoral choice with you,” Saakashvili said in a video.
His potential return to Georgia is seen as a significant test for the country’s ruling Georgian Dream party.
But Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili assured on Tuesday that if Saakashvili “sets foot on Georgian soil, he will be immediately arrested and imprisoned”.
Georgia was plunged into a political crisis since last year when opposition parties claimed there was massive fraud in the parliamentary elections.
In May, European Council President Charles Michel brokered an exit agreement, but the Georgian Dream unilaterally pulled out after two months, drawing criticism from the EU and the US.
In his video message, Saakashvili insisted that the agreement must be respected, calling Saturday’s local elections a “referendum” against the Georgian Dream.
THE ROTTEN FISH: CAN OF WORMS OPENED OF APC & TINUBU'S GOVERNMENT OVER NIGERIA'S ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
WATCH THE CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND KNOW THE RESPONSIBLE PARTIES TO BLAME FOR NIGERIA'S ECONOMIC CHALLENGES, WHILE CITIZENS ENDURE SEVERE HARDSHIPS.Watch this episode of ISSUES IN THE NEWS on 9News Nigeria featuring Peter Obi's Special Adviser, Dr Katch Ononuju, 9News Nigeria Publisher, Obinna Ejianya and Tinubu Support Group Leader, McHezekiah Eherechi
The economic crisis and hardship in Nigeria are parts of the discussion.
Watch, leave your comments, and share to create more awareness on this issue.
#9NewsNigeria #Nigeria #issuesInTheNews #politics #tinubu THE ROTTEN FISH: CAN OF WORMS OPENED ...
DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS FOR SUBSEQUENT UPDATES
#9newsnigeria #economia #economy #nigeria #government @9newsng
www.9newsng.com