Droa leader on hunger strike in solidarity with Saakashvili is against latter returning to power

Droa opposition party leader, Elene Khoshtaria, who has been on hunger strike for six days while demanding the transfer of former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili to a civil clinic, says that she is ‘strongly against’ Saakashvili returning to power. 

In her previous statement, Khoshtaria said that she disliked many of Saakashvili’s decisions while in power. However, she said that the government’s attitude towards Saakashvili’s health, who has been on hunger strike for 39 days, is ‘unacceptable’, and that is why she decided to protest. 

For those interested: I’m on the 5th day of drinking water (&coffee w/o sugar) & feel completely fine. One of the main reasons of my hunger-strike is to avoid a devastating confrontation between the ???????? society which can only be prevented with Saakashvili’s hospitalization.

— Helen Khoshtaria (@Helenkhosh) November 7, 2021

• What criminal charges are filed against recently arrested ex-president Saakashvili?
• Ex-president Saakashvili officially charged for illegal border crossing

Ahead of recent municipal elections, Khoshtaria, with Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM) party, which is currently chaired by Nika Melia, Lelo for Georgia and Girchi - More Freedom parties, presented a shadow cabinet for Tbilisi. 

I will stay in the agreement for a coalition government if Saakashvili refuses to take any governmental posts, if Melia retakes the chairmanship of the UNM, and if the UNM will not have a dominant role in the coalition,” Khoshtaria said.

She stated that even if the people decide on Saakashvili retaking office, or his chairmanship of the UNM, she will leave the coalition. 

• Penitentiary service releases footage of former pres. Saakashvili eating at Rustavi prison while on hunger strike [VIDEO]

We just held a protest outside of the Ministry of Justice of ???????? with mineral supplements laying on a table that says “Revolution.”

We encourage the Minister of Justice & other govt employees to live off it for just a week & then judge whether its a hunger strike or not. pic.twitter.com/sBzsIlm0Z6

— Droa (@MovementDroa) November 8, 2021

Lelo opposition party leader, Mamuka Khazaradze, who is also demanding Saakashvili’s release from prison, also says that he is against Saakashvili returning to power. 

Saakashvili, who was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1 after eight years in political exile, claims he returned to Georgia to remove the Georgian Dream government from power. 

He says that he has no goals to regain his previous position, claiming that he wants to free the country from the ‘pro-Russian rule of the Georgina Dream government.’