Post by Jaga on Apr 9, 2009 9:05:36 GMT -7
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Tens of thousands of demonstrators on Thursday demanded the resignation of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, in a rally rivaling the Rose Revolution protests that brought him to power five years ago.
The protesters, who massed outside parliament, charged that Saakashvili heedlessly led Georgia into a disastrous war with Russia and made an enemy of Moscow.
"You don't have the right to lead the country," said Levan Gachechiladze, an opposition leader, addressing the crowds.
Thursday's demonstration was timed to coincide with Georgia's National Day of Unity, which commemorates a 1989 anti-Soviet protest in which 20 demonstrators were killed as spade-wielding soldiers tried to disperse them.
The protest follows similar demonstrations in two other former Soviet republics, Moldova and Ukraine, where opposition leaders also charge that democratically-elected governments have failed to deliver on their promises of reform and prosperity.
Some protesters blamed Saakashvili for widespread unemployment. But most bitterly criticized his handling of the August conflict, which drove thousands from their homes and led Moscow to recognize the independence claims of two breakaway Georgian regions.
Once widely admired by Georgians as an energetic, pro-Western reformist, Saakashvili, 41, has increasingly faced criticism for an alleged authoritarian bent. Although Georgians initially united in support of his government after the war, opposition has slowly galvanized in recent months.
www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkRH85TcNwW0ZEfEjhzhfOjijuVQD97F19J00
The protesters, who massed outside parliament, charged that Saakashvili heedlessly led Georgia into a disastrous war with Russia and made an enemy of Moscow.
"You don't have the right to lead the country," said Levan Gachechiladze, an opposition leader, addressing the crowds.
Thursday's demonstration was timed to coincide with Georgia's National Day of Unity, which commemorates a 1989 anti-Soviet protest in which 20 demonstrators were killed as spade-wielding soldiers tried to disperse them.
The protest follows similar demonstrations in two other former Soviet republics, Moldova and Ukraine, where opposition leaders also charge that democratically-elected governments have failed to deliver on their promises of reform and prosperity.
Some protesters blamed Saakashvili for widespread unemployment. But most bitterly criticized his handling of the August conflict, which drove thousands from their homes and led Moscow to recognize the independence claims of two breakaway Georgian regions.
Once widely admired by Georgians as an energetic, pro-Western reformist, Saakashvili, 41, has increasingly faced criticism for an alleged authoritarian bent. Although Georgians initially united in support of his government after the war, opposition has slowly galvanized in recent months.
www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkRH85TcNwW0ZEfEjhzhfOjijuVQD97F19J00
