Mikheil Saakashvili, campaigning for reelection to the presidency, met with voters in Kvemo Kartli province and in Tbilisi on December 11, promising a “newly triumphant Georgia” and an end to the country’s poverty should he get another term in office.

Saakashvili first stop was in the Kvemo Kartli town of Bolnisi, where he pledged to help build the town into a “European city” where families can get a good standard of education, health care and living conditions.

A representative of his campaign’s press office could not offer details on how he would do that.

“I want to become the president of the people who need the most help, and who are ready to fight with us to achieve our goals,” Saakashvili declared, according to Rustavi 2. “I want to become the leader of a newly triumphant Georgia.”

Addressing a local concern, Saakashvili pointed out that simply getting water out to Georgia’s regions is still a problem. The government is working on building a new water pipeline to the town, he said.

Saakashvili, who has been accused by some opponents of antagonism toward the Georgian Orthodox Church, visited a local church undergoing restoration works, calling for churches all over the country to be treated to the same repairs.

His wife, Sandra Roelofs, joined her husband in campaigning by collecting letters from Saakashvili supporters with requests for the candidate. Roelofs was also a visible presence in Saakashvili’s 2004 campaign.

Also accompanying Saakashvili, according to the news agency NewsGeorgia, was Kvemo Kartli governor Zurab Melikishvili.

The event was covered by all the major networks, overshadowing a similar day of campaigning in the province of Kakheti by opposition coalition candidate Levan Gachechiladze.

Saakashvili returned to the capital later in the day to attend a concert and rally outside Tbilisi State University. About 500 to 600 people showed up to see the candidate speak.

“My only boss is the Georgian people,” he said, countering criticisms that he demonstrated on November 7 a willingness to do anything to maintain his power by pointing out that, in calling the snap election, he has voluntarily reduced his presidential term by a year.

Saakashvili assured attendees he has been working on social issues from first taking office.

“We say, ‘Georgia without unemployment!’ And they say, ‘Did you just wake up and see that unemployment is a huge problem in Georgia?’ But, of course, I always knew this was a very big problem,” Saakashvili said. “In the past four years, I was repairing the roads. In these four years, I was struggling against thieves-in-law because there will be no employment if we are in their hands.”

Saakashvili focused his speech on alleviating poverty. Declaring that he wanted to “give my hand” to the poor and the weak, the incumbent candidate assured supporters that despite the “lies” of his opponents, prosperity is well within reach. “We are going forward to light or back to darkness,” he declared.

“He is a true patriot and we should all support him,” said Lali Jokshadze, a 64-year-old Saakashvili supporter. “I like him most of all because he is intent on returning our lost territories.”

“I will vote for him. I can’t see any better candidates,” said 29-year-old Rusudan Gotsiridze. She said she was confident he will return Abkhazia, and do more to address Georgia’s unemployment problem than in his first term.