Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: A Tbilisi 50.000 in piazza contro Saakashvili

AFP
50,000 protest against Georgian president
by Michael Mainville Fri Nov 2, 2:34 PM ET
TBILISI (AFP) - At least 50,000 protestors demonstrated Friday 
in the Georgian capital Tbilisi against the rule of President 
Mikheil Saakashvili, four years after he led the Rose Revolution 
in this strategic ex-Soviet republic.
Opposition leaders told the peaceful crowd in the centre of the 
ancient city that Saakashvili -- a key US and European ally in 
the Caucasus region -- must move up parliamentary elections from 
their current date of late 2008 to April next year.
This was rejected by the ruling National Party, prompting 
protest leaders immediately to ask supporters to stay camped on 
Tbilisi's main Rustaveli Avenue outside parliament.
"We need to stay. We need only a few days before victory. We 
will win. We will not break," said opposition leader Levan 
Gachechiladze after meeting with parliament speaker Nino 
Burdjanadze, a strong backer of Saakashvili.
About 10,000 people remained as night fell.
Burdjanadze accused the opposition of "blackmailing us with 
their rallies."
Giga Bokeria, a senior member of the National Movement, told 
Rustavi-2 television: "The opposition's demands are not serious. 
The election dates will not be changed."
Earlier, the huge crowd, occupying most of the elegant avenue 
and flowing up onto the stairs of parliament, chanted to 
Saakashvili and his government: "Leave, leave!"
The rally was organised by a loose coalition of opposition 
parties who have won backing from tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, 
a business partner of international media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
It was the biggest challenge to Saakashvili in his nearly 
four-year presidency.
A strongly pro-Western leader, he launched radical democratic 
and free-market reforms in the wake of the 2003 Rose Revolution 
and a landslide presidential win in 2004, prompting a backlash 
from former ruler Russia.
Few domestic opponents are pro-Russian, but they accuse 
Saakashvili's government of arrogance, political persecution, 
abuse of the judicial process, and promoting a widening gap 
between rich and poor.
"Young people do not want to live in that kind of Georgia. We 
want to live in a truly democratic country," said one protestor, 
Irina Ezhabauri, 29. "Saakashvili is a liar. He betrayed the 
people's expectations. We do not have freedom."
The atmosphere at the protest was good-natured and although 
police maintained a tight guard around parliament they were 
unarmed and there was no sign of riot police.
Among those addressing the rally were Patarkatsishvili, who has 
publicly announced that he will sponsor the opposition drive.
Earlier this week he announced he was transfering for one year 
his shares in the Imedi Media Holding, which owns Georgia's 
opposition-friendly Imedi television, to co-owner News 
Corporation, headed by Murdoch.
Saakashvili allies accuse Patarkatsishvili of attempting to stir 
up a revolution and during the protest Friday a banner appeared 
on the side of a nearby building depicting the tycoon as 
puppeteer pulling the opposition's strings.
The Rose Revolution was the first of three to shake the 
ex-Soviet Union, followed by the Orange Revolution in Ukraine 
and another uprising in Kyrgyzstan.
All three were sparked by a desire for freer elections but have 
led to varying levels of political turbulence.
Although many Georgians are angered by Saakashvili's policy of 
tight links to the United States, the European Union, and a bid 
to enter NATO, they back his tough stand against Moscow, which 
is seen as backing separatist rebels in the country of about 
five million people.
Opposition leaders met Thursday with US Assistant Secretary of 
State Daniel Fried and the OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de 
Brichambaut. Both were visiting Tbilisi to attend an 
international security and democracy conference.

Direi che la situazione volge male per le rivoluzioni colorate