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  • Political chaos grips Georgia

    Political chaos grips Georgia

    Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze has declared a state of emergency after opposition forces seized parliament.

    He refused to resign and said the armed forces would now take over after what he called a coup attempt.

    Crowds led by main opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili stormed the parliament building after weeks of protests over disputed elections.

    Nino Burjanadze, outgoing speaker of parliament, says she has become interim president.

    But the situation is confused, with Mr Saakashvili appearing to suggest that Mr Shevardnadze could stay on - but only if he called early presidential elections.

    "If he announces... some transitional period for new presidential elections, that's fine," he told CNN.

    'Civil war'

    Mr Shevardnadze had been addressing the first session of parliament after the victory of his party and its allies in 2 November elections, which were declared fraudulent by international observers.

    As opposition supporters stormed the building, he was bundled away by his bodyguards.

    The country's armed forces did not intervene, and it is unclear whether they will enforce a state of emergency.

    Speaking to journalists, Mr Shevardnadze said: "With such people around, a civil war may start tomorrow...

    "If I show weakness now, people will no longer forgive me."

    Ms Burjanadze, leader of another opposition group, announced that she had assumed the powers of the president during a speech broadcast live by Georgian television.

    "Until the issue of the president's capacity is finally resolved and until the date of the new presidential and parliamentary elections is fixed, I have to assume upon myself those functions for which I am responsible by the constitution," she said.

    Hail of books

    Hundreds of opposition supporters drove Mr Shevardnadze's supporters from parliament under a hail of books and pens after a number of fist-fights.

    Live television pictures showed scenes reminiscent of the revolutions that toppled the communist governments of Eastern Europe more than a decade ago.

    Opposition supporters have now entered the building housing the office of the president, while tens of thousands of others are crowding outside parliament.

    Opposition leaders made speeches inside the building after taking control.

    "The velvet revolution has taken place in Georgia," Mr Saakashvili said, as the hall applauded him. "We are against violence."

    Mr Shevardnadze, the former Soviet foreign minister, has clung to power through war, civil unrest and economic crisis in his country.

    He had been under pressure to resign for several weeks before Saturday's dramatic events.

    Mr Saakashvili had earlier vowed to "trample" the country's leadership as he led opposition activists up to the gates in front of Mr Shevardnadze's offices and called for the president to step down.

    On Friday, the United States called on Georgia's government to conduct an independent investigation into the disputed election results.

    State department spokesman Adam Ereli said the election results reflected "massive vote fraud" in some regions and "do not accurately reflect the will of the Georgian people".

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3229266.stm
    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

  • #2
    It was funny watching the president getting dragged out by his security and then some twenty year old punk walks up to the front of the chamber and starts slamming the gavel.:roll

    Comment


    • #3
      Yes, yes very humorous.
      Very humorous to watch a country on the brink of a civil war.
      HOW OLD ARE YOU?

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by s_qwert63
        Yes, yes very humorous.
        Very humorous to watch a country on the brink of a civil war.
        HOW OLD ARE YOU?
        I care about as much about Georgia as do about the Netherlands. Which is to say, I wouldn’t notice if they ceased to exist.

        Comment


        • #5
          Well, blatantely, you ARE an American.
          So how old are you then? 12? 13?
          Judging by your grade one spelling mistakes, your grammar (considering English is your first language), your half-assed arguments that are backed up with nothing I think you are about 10.

          Lotta Troll BS to shovel out.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by s_qwert63
            Well, blatantely, you ARE an American.
            So how old are you then? 12? 13?
            Judging by your grade one spelling mistakes, your grammar (considering English is your first language), your half-assed arguments that are backed up with nothing I think you are about 10.
            How old are you? You haven't made a political argument all day. You're argument is obviously so weak that you have to resort to ad hominem attacks.

            Comment


            • #7
              Looks like he left before the thinking our posts make him do shorted out his brain.

              I guess he'll be back with more extravagent claims.

              First he know's a lot of Chechens. And American's know nothing because they are American.

              Then he claims to know Chechen refugee's and Rebels. And then claims Aukai Collins is a pathological liar, Chechen rebels are terrorist animals.

              Also that Lithuania is turning into the Fourth Riech.

              Along with other personal attacks and indoctrinated nonesence he tries to dispell historical fact with.

              Comment


              • #8
                Sqwert

                Forget for once [at least] that the Cold War is NOT over.

                Since you are an expert with the official Soviet view, what do you make out of this interesting situation where the President is hustled out and non elected chaps start passing diktats!

                In one way, that is the best form of democracy when 'the people' take over en masse the concept of 'of the people' and start doing it 'by the people'

                Of course, some folks may think that is what embodies the concept called 'anarchy'. I am sure you would disagree.


                "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                HAKUNA MATATA

                Comment


                • #9
                  People power forces Georgia leader out

                  People power forces Georgia leader out

                  Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze has resigned amid massive protests over disputed election results.

                  He announced the move after opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili gave him an ultimatum to go at talks mediated by Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.

                  The news was greeted by jubilant scenes in the capital Tbilisi, where fireworks lit up the night sky.

                  Opposition supporters broke into cheers outside the parliament building, which they took over on Saturday.

                  Speaking on national television, Mr Shevardnadze said: "It is probably better for the president to resign, all this to end, end peacefully and blood is not spilt and no casualties are caused."

                  Asked about who was succeeding him, he replied: "It is no longer my business."

                  Mr Saakashvili had threatened to lead a march on the presidential residence, where the final talks were held, unless Mr Shevardnadze stood down.

                  The BBC's Chloe Arnold, in Tbilisi, says the key to his downfall was that the army withdrew its support from the veteran president.

                  Earlier, Mr Shevardnadze - who had declared a state of emergency - said he was prepared to discuss holding an early presidential election, or the re-staging of the disputed parliamentary elections.

                  The presidential plane was being prepared at Tbilisi airport but an opposition leader said Mr Shevardnadze intended to remain in Georgia for the time being.

                  Dramatic scenes

                  Saturday saw the first session of the country's new parliament break up in pandemonium when opposition supporters led by Mr Saakashvili stormed the building, forcing Mr Shevardnadze and his supporters to flee.

                  Mr Shevardnadze had been addressing the first session of the newly-elected parliament after the victory of his party and its allies in the 2 November elections, which were declared fraudulent by international observers.

                  After Mr Shevardnadze was forced out of his offices by protesters, the outgoing opposition parliament speaker, Nino Burjanadze, said she was temporarily assuming the presidency.

                  It was the culmination of weeks of protests over the elections.

                  Former Soviet republics condemned the takeover of parliament by the opposition.

                  Plaudits

                  Correspondents say Mr Shevardnadze, once a popular and admired leader, is now seen by many Georgians as a failure who allowed corruption to flourish and poverty to spread under his rule.

                  When he first became leader of Georgia in 1992, he was praised for ending the anarchy that threatened to engulf newly independent Georgia following the break-up of the Soviet Union.

                  He had already won plaudits for the way he helped transform the Soviet Union when he was its foreign minister under Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 1980s.

                  But despite large amounts of US aid, Georgia, once one of the most prosperous regions in Soviet Russia, grew poorer under Mr Shevardnadze - partly because of widespread corruption and crime and partly because of the damage wrought by internal conflicts.

                  Mr Shevardnadze survived two assassination attempts in the 1990s.

                  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3231534.stm
                  "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Georgia keeps sights set on West

                    Georgia keeps sights set on West

                    Georgia's new interim leader has said her country will maintain its pro-West stance after the resignation of long-time leader Eduard Shevardnadze.

                    Acting President Nino Burdzhanadze said the country still aimed to join Nato and the EU as soon as possible.

                    Meanwhile, there was confusion over the location of Mr Shevardnadze after reports said he had landed in Germany.

                    But these were later retracted and aides said the ousted leader was at home in Tbilisi, "sleeping until noon".

                    In Georgia, life began to return to normal on Monday after three weeks of protest toppled Mr Shevardnadze in the wake of alleged fraud in parliamentary elections.

                    The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in the capital Tbilisi said people were out shopping, and planting trees and bushes to replace those uprooted during unrest.

                    Ms Burdzhanadze praised the behaviour of the Georgian people over the past three weeks.

                    "We have managed to overcome the gravest crisis in Georgia's recent history without shedding a single drop of blood," she said.

                    She commended the police and army for standing "on the side of the people in these most difficult days".

                    The country's new leaders are expected to ask the US for $5m to fund fresh elections.


                    Russian concern

                    But Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed reservations about the way in which Mr Shevardnadze was forced from power.

                    "There is logical concern that the transfer of power in Georgia has taken place against a background of strong pressure of the use of force," Mr Putin said on state television on Monday.

                    "Those who organise and encourage such actions must assume their responsibilities before the Georgian people," he said.

                    Mr Shevardnadze is remembered warmly for his role in the reunification of Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, says the BBC's Ray Furlong in Berlin.

                    He was Soviet Foreign Minister under Mikhail Gorbachev and wrote a book about the experience which became a best-seller in Germany, our correspondent says.

                    Mr Putin's own foreign minister, Igor Ivanov, is believed to have played a key role in negotiating Mr Shevardnadze's resignation on Sunday.

                    He met Mr Shevardnadze and opposition leaders at the weekend before the resignation.

                    Tense relations

                    Russia and Georgia have had tense relations since Georgia became independent with the break-up of the Soviet Union.

                    Russia accuses Georgia of harbouring Chechen militants, while Georgia accuses Moscow of backing separatist movements in the country.

                    Declaring an end to the disobedience campaign that forced Mr Shevardnadze out, Ms Burdzhanadze said the country must work to strengthen its ties with its neighbours and "the great state of Russia".

                    The US has developed strong interests in Georgia since its independence, as the main backer of a pipeline designed to bring oil from the Caspian sea to the West via Georgia.

                    Presidential powers

                    Ms Burdzhanadze said that presidential duties had passed to her in accordance with the constitution until elections are held within 45 days.

                    The country's new leaders also vowed to reopen negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, which cut ties with the cash-strapped country, citing corruption and failure to collect taxes.

                    Wild, noisy celebrations lasted late into the night after Mr Shevardnadze resigned on Sunday.

                    "I feel really powerful - and happy," one beaming reveller told the BBC.

                    "We did what we wanted. This is our freedom," said another.

                    Georgia's political crisis came to a head on Saturday when opposition supporters - led by opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili - stormed parliament.

                    Mr Shevardnadze first declared a state of emergency, refusing to hand over power, but after talks with Russia's Mr Ivanov on Sunday agreed to resign his 10-year presidency.

                    Regional analyst Tom de Waal says that Mr Shevardnadze's resignation marks the end of the immediate crisis - but warned problems could lie ahead.

                    "We're now facing a group of inexperienced politicians coming to power on this wave of euphoria, but they're totally untested," Mr de Waal told the BBC's Newshour programme.

                    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3232158.stm
                    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Georgia is wanting to join the NATO. How is Russia taking this situation?


                      "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                      I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                      HAKUNA MATATA

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        That's a pretty interesting twist...
                        Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

                        Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          It may appear interesting but it is what is called realpolitik. I am keen to know about the reaction. More so, because the Russian foreign minister has hotfooted it to Tbiliski.


                          "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                          I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                          HAKUNA MATATA

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            russia is a nation that no longer has any influence on world politics whatsoever.
                            Brahma Sarvam Jagan Mithya
                            Jivo Brahmaiva Na Aparah

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by roshan
                              russia is a nation that no longer has any influence on world politics whatsoever.
                              Except for the biggest arsenal of nuclear weapons. It is still the dominant power in the Far East, and Central Asia. So if you want involvement in Central Asia/Caucasus you would need to consult the Russians.

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