Supporters of the the Ivanishvili’s “Georgian Dream” opposition alliance poured into Tbilisi’s Freedom Square on Sunday for a rally intended as a show of strength ahead of parliamentary elections in October.
“Misha (Saakashvili), your time is up. Go!” Georgia’s most famous footballer Kakha Kaladze told the crowd in a speech during the rally.
Ivanishvili, worth 5.1 billion dollars, claims his desire to be a politician is due to President Mikheil Saakashvili’s inability to lead the country. He has accused Saakashvili of authoritarian tendencies.
Saakashvili stripped Ivanishvili’s citizenship after he adopted French nationality last year.
However the parliament this month has voted to change the constitution to allow EU citizens like Ivanishvili to contest parliamentary polls.
Meanwhile, Saakashvili’s allies accuse the businessman, who has made his fortune in Russia, of being a stooge for Georgia’s enemies in Moscow, which fought a brief war with Tbilisi in 2008.
PG/PKH
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