MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI, president of Georgia, vowed to see out the remainder of his term in office yesterday, defying tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators in Tbilisi.
Attendance at the demonstration, now in its second day, was smaller than on Thursday when an estimated 65,000 Georgians gathered in front of the parliament building calling for snap elections. The participants, mainly middle-aged and elderly Georgians, insisted they would protest until Mr Saakashvili resigned.
The normally outspoken Mr Saakashvili spoke calmly to reporters at his residence, saying the peaceful conduct of the protest was a victory for democracy.
"The world was watching and we proved once again that Georgia is a European democracy in content and action," he said.
"I've faced ultimatums like these every other month for the last five years," Mr Saakashvili added. "Welcome to Georgian politics. Georgia's not the only country like this. It must be something about our temperament." A dialogue between the opposition and the government could bring "tangible results", including constitutional reforms to bolster the power of parliament.
Protesters criticised Mr Saakashvili for failing to alleviate poverty and for allowing human rights abuses to persist, despite his claims to have introduced democracy. Few were willing to criticise his handling of the war with Russia last August when Georgia lost control of about 20 per cent of its territory.
"This is a serious protest against everything that is happening in Georgia," said one demonstrator, an artist, who gave her name as Nelly. "Saakashvili is a tyrant. He has allowed unemployment to rise and crushed the independence of the judiciary." Late in the day, protesters split into groups and blocked the roads to the central television station and the presidential administration.
The ministry of the interior said it had not yet taken action: "Our policy is still for maximum restraint". It said it had consulted with European crowd control experts and deployed riot police in Tbilisi's administrative and strategic buildings. Police presence on the streets was being kept at a minimum to avoid inciting anger.
The opposition appeared divided on how to continue the protest. Kakha Kukava, leader of the Conservative Party, said the opposition would launch a "campaign of civil disobedience" if its demands were not met. A spokesman for Irakli Alasania, leader of the Alliance opposition group, pledged to respect the rule of law.
Peter Semneby, European Union representative for the South Caucasus, praised the authorities and the opposition for "restraint and handling the demonstration in a dignified way . . . both sides understand what is at stake. This demonstration could show the way for a profound dialogue about the way this country is governed," he said after meeting opposition leaders. - (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009)