GEORGIA: SHEVARDNADZE DECLARES EMERGENCY AS OPPOSITION NAMES INTERIM PRESIDENT
11/22/03
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze (pictured) has declared a state of emergency following what he called an attempted "coup d’etat."

In live televised comments Shevardnadze said, "We have to bring order to the country."

The announcement came after opposition supporters seized control of the parliament today after weeks of protests against disputed election results.

Shortly after Shevardnadze’s statement, the opposition declared one of its leaders, Nino Burdjanadze, as interim president.

Shevardnadze was earlier whisked out of parliament by bodyguards after demonstrators forced open the door of the chamber and stormed in as he was giving a speech before the opening session of the newly elected parliament.

Opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili told the chamber, "The velvet revolution has taken place in Georgia."

The opposition has been protesting the 2 November parliamentary elections, which they say was rigged in favor of political parties loyal to Shevardnadze.

Email this article | Printer-Friendly Version
Posted November 22, 2003 © Eurasianet
http://www.eurasianet.org

	The Central Eurasia Project aims, through its website, meetings, papers, and grants, to foster a more informed debate about the social, political and economic developments of the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is a program of the Open Society Institute-New York. The Open Society Institute-New York is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that promotes the development of open societies around the world by supporting educational, social, and legal reform, and by encouraging alternative approaches to complex and controversial issues. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the position of the Open Society Institute and are the sole responsibility of the author or authors.