Ex-President Saakashvili urges people to join opposition rally in Tbilisi: coronavirus not deadly, losing the state is deadly

Saakashvili is wanted for several, alleged crimes in Georgia. Photo: AFP. 

Agenda.ge, 04 Nov 2020 - 11:13, Tbilisi,Georgia

Former President of Georgia, Ukrainian citizen Mikheil Saakashvili, has urged people to join the opposition rally on November 8 in Tbilisi despite the recent surge in coronavirus cases. 

Georgia has reported 2,295 new cases of coronavirus earlier today. 

He told TV Pirveli yesterday that people must not be afraid of the virus as he and ‘many others’ around him have already had the virus ‘which is not deadly at all.’ 

Many people must attend the rally. We must not be afraid of anything. I have already had the virus and did not even guess I had it. I learnt about it only later when I was tested for the virus. Of course we must wear facemasks and wash hands. Dozens of people have had the virus around me and all of them have recovered without any complications. Losing the state will really be deadly,” Saakashvili said, who currently takes an official post in Ukraine. 

The opposition parties say that the October 31 elections were fabricated and they have plans to take to the street. 

International observers, embassies and the US Department of State said that the elections were mostly free and competitive. 

Opposition parties are demanding repeat elections. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge. 

The ruling Georgian Dream party says that the opposition has failed to accept the election results in a dignified manner. 

The European Georgia opposition party has ‘openly declared a war’ against Saakashvili ahead of the elections,  comparing him with a treacherous character from Game of Thrones - Cersei Lannister. 

Once a close ally of Saakashvili, now the leader of the European Georgia opposition party, Gigi Ugulava has stated that Saakashvili and the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivavishvili ‘have provided equal efforts’ to hamper the opposition’s coalition ahead of the October 31 elections.