More and more Ukrainian MPs representing the ruling party tend to support former Georgian president and ex-Odesa governor Mikheil Saakashvili as a candidate to take the post of deputy prime minister for reforms in Ukraine, First Deputy Chairman of the Servant of the People faction in the Ukrainian parliament Oleksandr Korniyenko said.
"In all, I would say that there is an upward trend," Korniyenko said on Ukraina 24 television late on Monday evening.
Support for Saakashvili may grow stronger if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses MPs directly, asking them to back Saakashvili as a candidate, Korniyenko, who also leads the Servant of the People party, said.
"Clearly, if Volodymyr Oleksandrovych [Zelensky] asks us directly, I think many people will make up their minds," he said.
Korniyenko also pledged to personally support Saakashvili as a candidate for deputy prime minister.
"I believe that Ukraine could use a strong politician with such contacts in the world like Mikheil Saakashvili," he said.
Saakashvili said earlier in social media that he had an offer to become deputy prime minister in charge of reforms in Ukraine.
"It is a great honor to me to receive President [Volodymyr] Zelensky's invitation to become deputy prime minister in the Ukrainian government for reforms. I have also had a very meaningful and useful conversation with Prime Minister [Denys] Shmyhal, during which we thoroughly discussed all issues related to my potential work in the government," Saakashvili said on Facebook on April 22.
