Cabinet won't submit Saakashvili's candidacy for deputy premier

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will not submit to the Verkhovna Rada this week the candidacy of Mikheil Saakashvili for the post of Deputy Prime Minister for Reforms.

Censor.NET reports citing Yurii Butusov's post on Facebook.

"The loud story of Saakashvili’s appointment ended in a quiet "drain" - the appointment is blocked and it is unclear whether it will happen at all. After long negotiations, the Servant of the People managed to collect about 140-170 votes for the appointment of Saakashvili from 248 deputies, while the party’s readiness A little over 100 deputies declared to vote publicly," the journalist said.

"There are no votes because President Zelenskyi has decided not to speak publicly in support of Saakashvili. Maybe something will change because the president is ruled by emotions, but now the OP has stopped. Instead of the head of the OP Andrii Yermak, the task of collecting votes has been shifted to the head of the faction David Arahamia "That is, even the status of a negotiator has been lowered. The president’s office understands that the failure of negotiations with Saakashvili will end in a scandal, so he is considering what to offer to Saakashvili instead of reforms in the government," Butusov stated.

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As previously reported, Saakashvili wrote on his Facebook page that he had received an offer to become deputy prime minister for reforms in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

Later, Georgian Ambassador to Ukraine Teimuraz Sharashenidze said that the possible appointment of Saakashvili to the post of Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for reforms is likely to be perceived in Tbilisi as an unfriendly and unacceptable step from a strategic partner.