Ex-Pres Saakashvili: US midterm results driven by cost of living, concerns over corruption

Georgia’s former president Mikheil Saakashvili has said the Democrats’ victory in the US midterm elections was largely driven by rising living costs, a sense of social injustice and concerns about corruption.

In a statement published on social media on Wednesday, Saakashvili said the election result represented a “crushing defeat” for the Republicans, despite substantial financial support from Elon Musk and other wealthy donors. He also claimed the outcome had disappointed Russia and President Vladimir Putin personally.

Saakashvili said the result offered a lesson for Georgia, arguing that public demand for change could develop into a powerful movement that no political barriers could stop.

He accused Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili of having built barriers to political change by imprisoning opponents, buying support with money and effectively eliminating political parties and elections. However, he said public desire for change remained strong.

Saakashvili linked that potential movement to himself and his political allies, including Levan Khabeishvili, Zaza Bibileishvili, Nanuka Zhorzholiani and Anna Tsitlidze, as well as younger activists. He described their shared political vision as one of a strong Georgian state and effective governance.

“I refuse to be an object of any bargaining or exchange,” Saakashvili wrote, adding that he intended to be free in Georgia, where he could move freely, meet people and work towards victory with them.

He also pledged that his political camp would seek to secure genuine elections and restore what he described as popular ownership of the state, “rather than control by a billionaire”. He outlined goals including higher incomes, decent employment, secure pensions, protection from crime and corruption, and the return of Georgian emigrants.

Turning to foreign policy, Saakashvili criticised Ivanishvili and the Georgian government for failing to improve relations with the administration of US President Donald Trump. He said the Trump administration was demanding the release of “all political prisoners” and that Georgia distance itself from Iran’s “brutal Islamist dictatorship”.

He also predicted that the government would struggle to improve relations with the Democrats, saying they had imposed sanctions in previous years and were particularly sensitive to human rights and democracy issues.

Saakashvili cautioned against writing off Trump and the Republicans, arguing that Trump would retain full control over US foreign policy despite the election results. He also said the Republicans could field a strong candidate in the next presidential election, naming Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential contenders. He said Rubio’s position had strengthened following the midterm results.