Ex-President Saakashvili urges opposition parties to make joint election list for October’s polls

Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has called on opposition parties to unite their election lists for the upcoming, October parliamentary polls in Georgia.

Let’s put aside our ambitions and unite all of the political groups in a single list - this is the most precise and right form of unity”, Saakashvili said.  

Saakashvili, who currently serves as the chair of the executive committee of the Ukrainian National Reforms Council, said the parliamentary election is ‘a very big challenge’ and the ruling Georgian Dream party chairperson Bidzina Ivanishvili ‘will not give up anything by himself’.

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Saakashvili said ‘it is very difficult to act against such regimes’ without united forces. He therefore welcomed the opposition's steps aimed to coordinate the actions. 

Opposition European Georgia memmber Gigi Ugulava hoped that as the parties have reached an election agreement Saakashvili’s desire for more unity will not endanger the already existing unity between the opposition parties on selecting majoritarian candidates.

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Leader of New Georgia Giorgi Vashadze finds Saakashvili’s suggestion interesting, saying his team was and remains among those who support consolidation of opposition forces.

However, he said, 'the first stage of consolidation’ should be the agreement between opposition the on joint majoritarian candidates.