Jailed ex-president urges UNM to form volunteer election monitoring team

14:22, 02.10.2024

Jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili has recommended that the United National Movement establish a team of volunteers to monitor the 2024 parliamentary elections.

In a video link during today’s trial, Mikheil Saakashvili urged Georgian citizens to “prepare for the defence of election outcomes.”

The ex-president commended the party’s “star leaders” for their efforts to visit various cities and villages, engaging in door-to-door meetings with constituents. He also welcomed new members of all ages into the party.

Mikheil Saakashvili emphasized that he is in jail to safeguard Georgia as a state.

“If I had apologized in 2008 and heeded the advice of our friends to save myself by leaving Georgia with my family, today Georgia as a state would no longer exist on the map,” he stated.

Saakashvili expressed his belief that his imprisonment was a result of his love for the Georgian people.

“I risked my life and did my utmost; they poisoned me and subjected me to hardships because of my love for my country. In those years, my true passion was helping my people rather than seeking power,” he concluded.

By - Elene Dobordjginidze

Politics

Mikheil Saakashvili