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IL MORTO CHE CAMMINA E IL NUOVO PRESIDENTE

"A former ally of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili who is seen as the strongest contender for his position founded a new political party on Sunday, increasing pressure on the president to call early elections. Several thousand supporters packed a basketball stadium in the center of the capital, Tbilisi, for the founding congress of Nino Burjanadze's party, Democratic Movement-United Georgia. Sunday marked the fifth anniversary of the Rose Revolution that swept Mr. Saakashvili to power on the promise of improved living conditions and closer ties with the West.Georgia's divided opposition has been pressing Mr. Saakashvili to call early elections following August's five-day war with Russia that left an estimated 100,000 Georgians refugees and badly battered the country's economy. On Sunday, Georgia said Russian forces fired shots on a motorcade bearing Mr. Saakashvili and Polish President Lech Kaczynski as they passed a checkpoint near the South Ossetian border, damaging several cars. Russia and the separatist administration of South Ossetia denied the claims. "This is one more instance of wishful thinking on the part of Georgia," said Grigory Karasin, Russia's deputy foreign minister, Interfax news agency reported. Mr. Kaczynski said at a televised news conference with Mr. Saakashvili it was "difficult to say whether they shot in the air or not," but that it was clear the cease-fire had been violated. Georgian television showed unclear footage with gunfire audible.

"Ms Burjanadze has always been in the right place at the right time. The daughter of a famous Georgian official, she was introduced into Eduard Shevardnadze’s circle, but she managed to dissociate herself from him to head the rose revolution with Mikhail Saakashvili. Some people said the she was to become new Georgia’s President, but Mr Saakashvili was allegedly shrewder, and the West staked on him. Adjara’s former leader Aslan Abashidze once said that Eduard Shevardnadze treated Mikhail Saakashvili and Nino Burjanadze as his closest supporters, but they let him down. However, in Georgia it was regarded as a feat, rather than betrayal. Indeed, can you call betrayal something that is done in the name of the motherland? But for the revolution, Eduard Shevardnadze and his cronies would have ruined the country. This is what new national leaders said. Nino Burjanadze headed the Georgian Parliament for eight years, remaining Mikhail Saakashvili’s close supporter. She was dubbed Iron Nino for her self-mastery – something Mikhail Saakashvili has always lacked. When the recent presidential campaign was launched last year, Mikhail Saakashvili endowed Nino Burjanadze with the right to be acting President. He both trusted and was afraid of her. He was aware that Iron Nino didn’t give up her presidential ambitions. At that time he praised Ms Burjanadze much, calling her his devoted friend, Iron Lady and Georgian Margaret Thatcher. In response, the Speaker asked her supporters not to rally and not to impede the Government’s work. She knew quite well that she was far away from being a big-timer.

Nino Burjanadze stayed with Mikhail Saakashvili till she felt it jeopardized her. And she quit the Saakashvili team at the right time again. According to the South Ossetian party, the Georgian army began preparing for a military operation in South Ossetia back in April. That month Nino Burjanadze announced her resignation. Perhaps she did not know that hostilities would be unleashed in South Ossetia, but she couldn’t have noticed Georgia’s militarization. She must have understood that Mikhail Saakashvili’s refusal to sign a treaty on the non-use of force with Tskhinvali and Sukhumi meant that hostilities would certainly break out. She knew that Mikhail Saakashvili had no other way out. Russia would grab South Ossetia and Abkhazia; and the President would be unable to explain his people why he had done nothing to stop the “Russian expansion.”It would have been unwise to side with Mikhail Saakashvili longer. And Ms Burjanadze cannot be called an unwise politician. She has always been astute. Now that Georgia was defeated in the war and the public is disappointed at Mikhail Saakashvili’s policy, she appears the only stronghold in the world of instability and challenges, which is why she is mostly likely to become the next Georgian President". (Kommersant)

Russian troops remain stationed in two separatist regions that Mr. Saakashvili had promised to return to Georgia. Foreign investors, a key force behind the country's economic recovery, have been scared off and Georgia's growth this year is expected to fall to 3.4% from 12.4% in 2007. "Five years ago the Georgian people entrusted power to today's authorities, but instead of democratic development and territorial integrity we have today the opposite," said Ms. Burjanadze. "In any civilized nation, authorities who led the country to disaster would resign. We must have elections and bring new authorities to power."Mr. Saakashvili was elected for his current five-year term in January, after opposition protests in 2007 drove him to call early elections nearly four years into his first term. Because of Georgia's two-term limit, if he were to call elections again he wouldn't be able to run. Ms. Burjanadze didn't join forces with any of Georgia's existing parties, leaving the opposition movement split. Another opposition faction held a demonstration earlier Sunday which was attended by only around 200 people.

Ms. Burjanadze was part of the team that helped inspire the Rose Revolution. She has twice served as Georgia's acting president in the run-up to presidential elections. But after four years as speaker of Parliament she resigned just before parliamentary elections in May, saying the administration had made mistakes. Since the end of the war, she has said Mr. Saakashvili could have avoided it, and accused him of censoring the media.

Postato da: Fandorin a 14:41 | link | commenti |
politica, georgia

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