KIEV, April 22 — RIA Novosti. the Appointment of former Georgian President and former Governor Odessa region Mikhail Saakashvili to the post Deputy Prime Minister Ukraine is associated with the desire of the authorities to improve the shaken image of President Vladimir Zelensky in the West, and also to balance the influence of the interior Minister Arsen Avakov, said the Director of the Ukrainian Institute of policy analysis and management Ruslan Bortnik.
Earlier, Saakashvili said that he had received from Zelensky an offer to become Deputy Prime Minister reform, and promised to submit to Parliament its programme of changes in the country. According to sources “Ukrainian truth”, the purpose of the Verkhovna Rada may consider as early as Friday.
“It’s probable appointment, which for say a month. There are two reasons. The first reason is to improve the image Zelensky and his team in the West, which deteriorated after the resignation of Ryaboshapko and Goncharuk (former attorney General of Ruslan Riaboshapka and former Prime Minister Alexey Goncharuk — ed.), understandable and acceptable to Western figures. Saakashvili, with his set of relationships in the West are able to improve this image. The second reason why it may appoint in the Cabinet — is finding a balance to Avakov, which the government has no competitors in terms of experience and influence. Because of their charisma Saakashvili could make Avakov competition,” — said Bortnik RIA Novosti.
According to him, electoral this step does not appear on the ranking of the authorities, as Saakashvili is not very popular in Ukraine.
“At the same time, Saakashvili is a figure, which is not inferior Zelensky neither the ambition nor the experience, so the risk that sooner or later, between them there is friction, the same significant, as it was with Petro Poroshenko,” — said the expert.
Saakashvili left Georgia in 2013, where he opened a number of criminal cases, some of them he was sentenced in absentia to prison terms. In the spring of 2015 Saakashvili came to Ukrainian politics, when held the post of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko appointed him Governor of Odessa region, before granting citizenship.
At the end of July 2017, Poroshenko deprived Saakashvili Ukrainian citizenship. Later, Saakashvili has filed a complaint against this decision of the Ukrainian court, it is still not considered.
the Ukrainian Authorities in February 2018 has sent Saakashvili to Poland, from which he in autumn 2017 illegally came to Ukraine broke through the cordons of border guards and law enforcement officers. Ukraine’s new President Vladimir Zelensky on may 28, 2019, a decree was returned Saakashvili Ukrainian citizenship. Policies on the following day returned to Ukraine.
