The stakes are very high after Irakli Okruashvili, the ex-defense minister, accused President Saakashvili of “ordering murders,” political analyst Ia Antadze said.

With such accusations, she told Civil.Ge, Okruashvili has drawn himself into a fierce and dangerous struggle.

“Expectations about Okruashvili’s political comeback were high, especially in the provinces,” Antadze said. “He has, however, still to provide credible evidence to back up his allegations and gain support. So far we’ve heard only words from him, which some may believe and others not.”

She said that Okruashvili’s strength is in the fact that he was an insider in the Saakashvili administration.

“The weakness of all other opposition parties is their inability to clearly show and confirm their allegations against the authorities,” Antadze said. She said, however, that with Okruashvili’s political comeback this situation might change.