Opposition party takes over Georgian parliament, forcing president to resign
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TBILISI (AP) - Georgia's parliament Nov. 25 called new presidential elections for Jan. 4 to find a replacement for ousted President Eduard Shevardnadze.
Interim president Nino Burdzhanadze, a key opposition figure, meanwhile, repealed the state of emergency that Shevardnadze had declared after protesters stormed parliament Nov. 22 over allegedly rigged elections.
The Nov. 2 elections selected a new parliament dominated by pro-Shevardnadze lawmakers. But when Shevardnadze tried to officially open the parliament, hundreds of opposition backers swarmed into the chamber and took over the building.
The next day, with tens of thousands in the streets of the capital, opposition leaders delivered the president an ultimatum: resign or the protesters would storm his house. Within an hour, Shevardnadze had resigned.
Shevardnadze said he was leaving office to avoid a bloodbath in a region steeped in violence. But by that time, some servicemen had joined the protesters and it was doubtful police and soldiers would have obeyed orders to use force.
Shevardnadze's resignation comes after a decade of mounting discontent and protests over corruption that has plagued the former Soviet republic during his reign.
グルジアで無血クーデター
グルジアで、議会選挙をめぐり野党勢力が国会を占拠した事件で
11月23日、シュワルナゼ大統領が辞任した。野党による暫定政権は、1月4日に大統領選を行うことを決めた。
Shukan ST: Dec. 5, 2003
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