Odessa's New Gov.

From the BBC:
"Georgian ex-President Saakashvili named Ukraine regional governor"

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been appointed governor of Ukraine's southern Odessa region. Announcing the surprise move in the Black Sea port of Odessa, President Petro Poroshenko said Mr Saakashvili had been granted Ukrainian citizenship. Mr Saakashvili is widely credited with carrying out radical reforms in Georgia during his terms in office in 2004-13. However, current Georgian authorities accuse him of abuse of power and have demanded his extradition. Mr Saakashvili left Georgia after his term as president ended in 2013. He denies the charges against him, which he says are politically motivated.   The complete surprise of Mikheil Saakashvili's appointment as Odessa governor has left a large number of political observers at a loss for an explanation. President Petro Poroshenko's reasons will be come clearer with time, but at the moment, many are struggling to see the strategy behind naming a former leader of another country to run a provincial government. Saakashvili is a political outsider, with few ties to the Odessa region, and comes with a reputation for divisiveness and a high level of self-involvement. But he is also pro-Western, pro-reform and apparently very loyal to Mr Poroshenko - which will come in handy if he takes on local corruption and vested interests, as Mr Poroshenko apparently wants. The move could be a stroke of genius on Mr Poroshenko's part - or a blunder of breathtaking magnitude. At the very least, it points to his lack of choices among home-grown candidates.

 

 

^ This does seem a bit odd. I am curious to see how this all pans out. ^

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32943701