Nino Burdzhanadze was head of Georgian parliament from 2001 until 2008 and has twice served brief stints as Georgian head of state, most recently at the end of 2007 when current President Mikhail Saakashvili stepped down to run for re- election in snap presidential elections.

I would hardly call Nino Burdzhanadze an "opposition", being #2 person in the state and state apparatus she is in the same degree "opposition" as Dick Cheney is an opposition to Bush. Most high profile people in Georgia who lead Saakashvili to power are either in exile, dead or in jail. Nino is considered safe enough by Mikhail to warm his presidential throne while he was campaigning a year ago.

Nino could hardly complain of the payout: for the aggression against Ossetia Georgia was supplied so far by the US and EU with 1.5 annual state budgets, or 20% of country GDP. On the brighter side that must have saved IMF some money.