TBILISI – About 7,000 Georgians rallied in the capital yesterday to demand the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili.
The demonstration was a warm-up for a day of protest on April 9th planned by opposition groups who blame Mr Saakashvili for the disastrous war with Russia last August and for failing to insulate Georgia against the deepening economic crisis.
One of Georgias best known singers, Georgy Gachechiladze, performed protest songs he said he had last sung under Eduard Shevardnadze, who was brought down by the 2003 “Rose Revolution” that brought Mr Saakashvili to power. “These songs I sang when Shevardnadze ruled Georgia. I would never have believed these songs could be sung today,” said Gachechiladze, singing from a mocked-up prison cell on stage.
The brother of an opposition leader who ran against Saakashvili in the 2008 elections, he has vowed he will not leave his cell until Mr Saakashvili leaves office.
Many wore carnival masks and took photographs as they marched from the concert to the Georgian parliament.
“Misha [Saakashvili] must leave because unemployment is rising and the economic situation is getting worse,” said Tamta Kotrikadze, a 52-year-old unemployed woman. – (Reuters)