Opposition: time for Saakashvili decision

Russia Today, 10 April, 2009, 18:20

A campaign of civil disorder is due to start in Georgia, says the opposition. It follows the expiration of an ultimatum for the president to step down. Mass demonstrations in the capital are now in their second day.

The ultimatum for the president to step down by 4 pm (12:00 GMT) on Friday has expired, and now the opposition leader, Levan Gachechiladze, announces a campaign of civil disorder.

Firstly, this means that the protests will expand beyond the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

Secondly, living in Tbilisi during the next couple of days is not going to be something easy. The opposition is planning to move to several points around the city and block traffic. They are going to be outside one of the state-run television channels, and they are also planning to hold protests outside the presidential residence.

In their statement, the opposition leaders have made clear that they want to openly disrupt Saakashvili’s schedule. So, what they are going to do is to try to find out about any meetings or plans that the president might have over the next couple of days, and purposefully keep him from getting to where he needs to be.

If Saakashvili still does not give in to their demands, these protests will expand even further. It won’t just be two or three streets that are blocked. They say people will be staying on the streets day and night, until he does turn in his resignation.

The president is confident that the elections that were held last year were free and fair. It is also important to mention that he was openly supported by the West, and international organizations, and NGOs did declare those elections were free and fair. So, he feels he is in his right to stay in the office until his term runs out.

The Georgian leadership, said earlier, "The question of resignation of the president of Georgia – a country with a population of 4.5 million people – cannot and shouldn't be solved by 150,000 participants in the protest rally."

Saakashvili said he would't resign until his presidential term officially ends in 2013.

Reasons to protest

On Thursday, over a hundred thousand protesters came out to demand that Saakashvili steps down.

Georgia's opposition parties believe that President Saakashvili’s policies have brought the country to a deadlock.

According to Salome Zurabishvili, one of Georgia’s opposition leaders, the president is unable to manage the economy and get back the trust of the population, “which is an integral part of being able to govern the country."

Nino Burdzhanadze, the ex-speaker of the Gerogian parliament has apologized to the country’s population for not taking enough of a stance during the meeting on the 7th of November, 2007.

Why April 9?

On April 9, 1989, a mass anti-Soviet rally was held in Tbilisi, the capital of what was then the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. The demonstrators were dispersed by the Army, resulting in 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries. Now the Day of National Unity is marked in Georgia on April, 9.

She stated that she takes part of the blame for those who suffered as a result of police violence during that action.

Burdzhanadze also affirmed that, “Mikhail Saakashvili should resign from his presidential post, because the people of Georgia cannot trust him with anything”.

Many of the present-day opposition leaders are former close allies of the Georgian president, including Nino Burdzhanadze and the former ambassador to the UN Irakly Alasania. It is important to say, that if Mikhail Saakashvili steps down, Alasania is seen as the favourite to, perhaps, become the next president of Georgia.

So far, no clashes have been reported. However, many fear government forces might resort to violence to disperse protesters, just as in 2007. Security has been stepped up.

Mass rally held in Tbilisi to urge Georgian president's resignation

2009-04-10 11:42:15  

·Protestors urged Georgian President to resign over strained ties with Russia and sluggish economy. ·Reports said around 100,000 to 120,000 people took part in the rally. ·The most bitter criticism was directed at Saakashvili's handling of the August conflict last year.

    TBILISI, April 10 (Xinhua) --

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the Georgian parliament on Thursday, urging President Mikhail Saakashvili to resign over the strained ties with Russia as well as the sluggish economy at home.

    Reports said around 100,000 to 120,000 people took part in the rally, including members and supporters of opposition parties, representatives of public organizations, college students, and the unemployed.

    Opposition leaders have promised to demonstrate daily outside the parliament building until Saakashvili quits, accusing him of rigging elections and authoritarian tendencies.

    Former presidential challenger Levan Gachechiladze said the demonstrators "have no other way out but to stand here" until Saakashvili resigns.

    "Mikhail Saakashvili should realize that it is high time for him to resign. Most Georgian citizens demand his resignation," said Nino Burdzhanadze, the former parliament's speaker, before the rally.

    The protesters raised clenched fists as they chanted slogans, urging the president to step down immediately.

    The most bitter criticism was directed at the president's handling of the August conflict last year.

    Opposition groups said Saakashvili made a serious mistake when he launched an assault on the breakaway region of South Ossetia last year.

    Russia responded with a counter-offensive of tanks and troops, which quickly drove Georgian forces back. It then recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.

    People also accused Saakashvili, a U.S.-educated lawyer, of repeated cabinet reshuffle and not doing enough to ease the impact of the global financial crisis.

    The peaceful rally was timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of an anti-Soviet protest. April 9 is now remembered as the Day of National Unity, an annual public holiday.

    As early as in mid-March, a small-scale protest was staged in the capital as a warm-up for a day of protest on April 9 planned by opposition groups.

    On Thursday, Saakashvili joined a quiet vigil to remember the victims. "Georgia today, as never before, needs unity and firmness," he told reporters. "We are a democratic state and people have different opinions."

    In the mean time, similar protests happened in other Georgian cities, like in Batumi and Poti.

    The demonstrators were expected to return to the streets Friday in an attempt to overthrow the president.     Saakashvili, who was re-elected in January 2008, has vowed to serve out his five-year term.

    "We should stick together despite different opinions," he said in a statement. "We must continue to develop as a democratic country."

    Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said earlier this month that he would never talk to his Georgian counterpart, whom Russian leaders have depicted as unbalanced.

Demonstrators want Georgia president to resign

2009-04-09 23:26:24  

    TBILISI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the Georgian parliament Thursday and demanded that President Mikhail Saakashvili resign, news agencies reported.

    About 120,000 people rallied on the square in front of the parliament in Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

    The demonstrators are members and supporters of opposition parties, public organizations, and ordinary citizens.

    Before the rally, former parliament Speaker Nino Burdzhanadze, who sides with the opposition, said "Saakashvili should realize that it is high time for him to resign and most Georgian citizens demand his resignation."

    One of the opposition leaders, Irakly Alasania, promised the rally would be "absolutely peaceful."

    Meanwhile, protests took place in other Georgian cities as well, the Interfax news agency said.

    Former Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli led an opposition rally in Batumi, while an anti-presidential rally occurred in Poti.

U.S. calls for peaceful demonstration in Georgia

2009-04-09 05:22:16  

    WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) --

The United States on Wednesday urge the Georgian government and all the participants in a massive protest starting Thursday to ensure the event peaceful.

    Demanding the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili is expected to be one of the goals of the protest, which is participated by Georgia's main opposition parties and some 100,000supporters,

    "We urge the government of Georgia and all those participating in the April 9 protest rally to ensure that the demonstrations are peaceful and without violence," U.S. State Department acting spokesman Robert Wood said in a statement.

    "Peaceful protests are an important part of any democracy and an integral and acceptable way to express political views," said the spokesman.

    The United States stands ready to sustain and deepen its support for Georgia's democratic reform, which is "essential to Georgia's success as a democracy in which voters determine the country's political future," said Wood.

Editor: Yan