Amid Controversy, Georgian Student Protests Movement Grows

Less than five months before parliamentary elections in Georgia, a protest movement called Kmara has quickly inserted itself into the swirling political debate in Tbilisi. A relatively loose organization of students, Kmara is agitating for the conduct of free and fair elections and is also pushing for the resignation of President Eduard Shevardnadze.

Kmara, which means "enough" in English, played a prominent role in anti-government protests across Georgia on June 3. Demonstrators supported opposition calls for changes in the composition of the country's Central Election Commission, which will oversee the parliamentary election. [For additional see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Some local political observers believe that Kmara's fast rise to prominence has been assisted by Mikhail Saakashvili and Zurab Zhvania, former Shevardnadze political allies who are now among the administration's most ardent critics. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archives].

Student protests began gaining strength in April, when scores of students wrote the word "enough" in public spaces and roughly 300 protesters burned a flag portraying Shevardnadze and his entourage in front of the State Chancellery. Since then, Kmara has conducted numerous anti-government actions.

Shevardnadze supporters immediately denounced Kmara, suggesting initially that the movement was receiving financing from Russian sources. "Russian special services are planning a large-scale, tried-and-tested operation: