Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili yesterday faced down street protests and rejected opposition demands to resign over his record on democracy and last year’s disastrous war with Russia.
“It’s obvious the answer to this question is ‘No,’” the 41-year-old leader told a news conference when asked if he would give in to the opposition call. “It has always been ‘No,’ because that’s how it is under the Constitution.”
Around 60,000 protesters took to the streets of the capital on Thursday, threatening to mount perhaps the biggest challenge to Saakashvili’s rule since he was swept to power in the former Soviet republic’s 2003 Rose Revolution.
PHOTO: AFP
Dozens of men, drinking wine and warming their hands over a fire, blocked the capital’s main avenue in front of parliament through the night and into yesterday. Opposition leaders called on demonstrators to gather again in the afternoon.
Saakashvili, seen by some Georgians as brash and impulsive, has polarized opinion in the Caucasus country, a transit route for oil to the West.
But foreign diplomats question whether the opposition alliance can maintain unity and muster enough people to join promised daily protests to force him out. They warn tensions risk boiling over into unrest.
“I’ve been facing these ultimatums every other month during the last five years,” Saakashvili said, speaking in English. “Every independent poll clearly proves that people are longing for dialogue, for long-term stability.”
Georgia’s western backers are watching closely for any repeat of the crackdown in November 2007, when police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse peaceful mass demonstrations against Saakashvili. Western officials condemned the action.
The opposition accuses Saakashvili of stifling reforms promised with the Rose Revolution, monopolizing power and exerting pressure on the judiciary and media.
Defeat in a five-day war with Russia, when Moscow crushed a Georgian assault on breakaway South Ossetia and then recognized Georgia’s two rebel regions as independent, has emboldened critics who argue the president has made too many mistakes to remain in power until 2013.
Saakashvili urged the opposition to engage in dialogue, saying he was ready to discuss “all problems.”
Analysts say Saakashvili’s ruling United National Movement retains wide support, and the president’s position appears strong despite the defection of several top allies and repeated cabinet reshuffles.
Many Georgians appear frustrated with the political bickering and are sympathetic to government calls for stability.
“How long can we bear this for?” said Lia Licheli, 41, pointing at the protesters. “If they had brains they would go home. They are just fighting for positions. I can’t bear it.”
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