Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is expected to be appointed to an official post in the next few days, according to the sources of the Kyiv Post and several Ukrainian media outlets.
The appointment will represent a compromise after Saakashvili’s expected appointment as deputy prime minister fell through, reportedly due to a lack of consensus in parliament.
Several Ukrainian news websites reported, citing their sources in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration, that Saakashvili will be appointed to a post that will have him participate in the reform process.
Earlier, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of Zelensky’s administration, also hinted at that. When asked about Saakashvili’s employment prospects, Tymoshenko said on April 30 that “not all government appointments need to be approved by the parliament.” David Arakhamia, the head of Zelensky’s faction in parliament, also said that Saakashvili had been offered another position in the government.
A Kyiv Post source close to Saakashvili who wasn’t authorized to speak to the press said that, among the jobs being considered at the moment, are Zelensky’s representative in the Cabinet and executive director of the presidential reform council, an advisory body.
In either of these positions, Saakashvili would be involved in conducting reforms, attracting foreign investment and cooperation with the International Monetary Fund.
Saakashvili and Zelensky’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
These appointments do not require parliamentary approval.
On April 22, Zelensky offered Saakashvili the job of deputy prime minister for reforms. However, the Verkhovna Rada failed to muster enough votes for Saakashvili’s appointment and did not consider the issue at its meetings on April 24 and April 30. Ukrainian media reported that lawmakers from Zelensky’s faction said that Saakashvili met with the faction but didn’t convince enough of its members to support his candidacy.
He was also opposed by allies of oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky and Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, as well as by the pro-Russian Opposition Platform – For Life party.
Previously, Saakashvili said his task was to push through deregulation and tax cuts to help Ukraine cope with the current economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Saakashvili served as the governor of Odesa Oblast under Zelensky’s predecessor, Petro Poroshenko. However, he fell out with Poroshenko and was subsequently stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship, prosecuted and deported in what he believes to be a political repression.
The ex-Georgian president returned to Ukraine in 2019, when Zelensky restored his Ukrainian citizenship.
