Report On The Rose Revolution In Georgia
Introduction
In the early 2000s, the former Soviet space experienced a wave of democratic political enthusiasm. The Republic of Georgia is one of the former Soviet republics which sailed on that wave of the democratic transition. However, after declaring independence in 1991, the course of events within the country did not flow in unity and therefore ended with revolution. Although it gained independence, the country made no progress. On the contrary, it was sinking deeper into political, economic and social crisis. Georgia could not get rid of the Soviet past. The political scene of the country was represented by almost the same structures as it was during the Soviet period. Before becoming Georgian President, Edward Shevardnadze served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR from 1985 to 1990. However, despite his pro-Western policies, Shevardnadze did not advocate a radical tightening of relations with Russia. Above all, he came to the forefront of Georgia through support of official Moscow. Throughout the history, because of its geo-political position, Georgia has always been crucified between Russia and the West, which further heightened tensions in the country. In the 2000 parliamentary elections, the results initially showed again the victory of Edward Shevardnadze and his party. This result also was presented as his personal victory, although he has been engaged in politics in his country for almost 30 years. But at that time the country was already largely political, economically and military weak and worn out. Even Shevardnadze’s party was disunited within itself. The first years of his reign, he was extremely popular, but over time his popularity faded due to the authoritative politic he pursued. In order to keep him in power, his supporters faked the results of elections.
According to the report of the Central Election Commission, the victory went to Shevardnadze and to his party. For the opposition and the citizens this was unacceptable, especially given that the commission was made up of government corrupt officials. Hence, the NGO 'Fair Elections' began a parallel counting of votes, which results show the victory of opposition, the National Movement and the United Democrats. The opposition was mad and warned Shevardnadze to publish the right results and to recognize the results of Fair Elections and the victory of the National Movement. Election fraud was a key trigger for the citizens to stand up against longstanding discontent. Opposition launched demonstrations to deny results of Central Election Commission. Day by day demonstrations became more extensive. The whole country was paralyzed; a state of emergency was declared. Two specifics are significant to this revolution. In addition, that the revolution lasted three weeks and ended Shevardnadze’s reign in Georgia, it is significant it was non-violent mass action. Although the government ordered the army to defend the constitutional order, no blood was shed during the revolution. The soldiers laid down their weapons when they saw that the protestors didn’t want a nor fight neither aggression. The army couldn’t provide any resistance. Shevardnadze was forced to step down as he has no longer power over the army and any other government functions. When the soldiers went into the streets in order to counter the protests, the protesters gave the soldiers the red roses. Besides that, Mikhail Saakashvili hold a rose as he went into the parliament building demanding Shevardnadze’s resignation. Rose was a symbol peace and friendship, a symbol of non-violence during the revolution. By that symbolism the revolution was named. Since 2003, November 23th presents a significant date in the history of Georgia, which ushered a new era. It's difficult to argue whether or not the revolution was planned, but Serbian diffusion effect was in evidence. According to Jones (2006), a Serbian student’s group Otpor (Resistance) served as an inspiration and model for Georgian student’s organization Kmara (Enough). Members of Kmara movement have been specially trained in Belgrade. The one of the reason is that these two countries share a communist heritage and post-communist unhappiness.
What Causes ‘Democratic Revolutions’ and Under What Conditions Do They Succeed?
The answer to this question directly is related the economic, political and social situation during the 11th years of Shevardnadze’s rule. The electoral fraud was the last drop in a full glass of longtime patience of citizens, which triggered national revolt and served as an underlying cause of legitimacy for the bloodless coup – known as the Revolution of Roses. Georgia without Shevardnadze was a precondition and only chance for economic progress and democratic development. Moreover, even before this election began, it was clear that their results would greatly determine the further development of the country. One of the reasons that the opposition leader, Mikhail Saakashvili won during the Rose revolution was because the unpopular incumbent president Edward Shevardnadze announced in April 2002, that he would abide by the constitution’s two-term limit and leave office by 2005.
During the reign of Shevardnadze, the country was undermined by the economic collapse. The socio-economic situation of the country was destructive, Georgia's per capita national income was extremely low, and more than half of the population lived below the poverty line. The state could not deliver basic services, repair the crumbling infrastructure, enforce the law, or collect taxes. Corruption in Georgia was widespread in each pore of society. Under such conditions it was not difficult to launch a revolutionary mass. The accelerated global exchange of goods, information and values, the impact of powerful international organizations and the international media, and the sudden poverty facing Georgians following the collapse of the Soviet welfare state – were the vital sources of the November 2003 events. Even a decade after the declaration of independence, the country was under constant pressure and influence from Russia. Nearly 20 percent of its own territory was outside of central government control. Abkhazia and South Ossetia separated under Russian protection and as such contested territories became a subject of numerous conflicts. Adjaria was controlled by its local potentate, Aslan Abashidze, who ignored central institutions and laws. To the South, the Armenian region of Javakheti was more closely integrated into neighboring Armenia than into Georgia. With the introduction of the visa regime for Georgia by Russia, relations between two countries reached a critical point. An important role in the success of the revolution was played by the youth movement Kmara (Enough!), NGO’s, as well as the role of media, both foreign and domestic. They were all completely united, the opposition, the citizens, the media, breathed as one. This oneness showed that the revolution was not ideologically colored. Kmara played very an organizational role in the demonstrations. The members have taken the steps following the success of the revolution in Serbia. The success of the revolution stemmed from the self-confidence and good organization of citizens. Independent television Rustavi 2 was the initiator of the opposition campaign, support for the Kmara group and mobilized the citizens. In the broader context, the Georgian Rose Revolution could be understood as the result of digital supports. The revolution events were broadcast almost 24 hours on CNN. It was a huge pressure for a government, which should not allow itself to be a violent. It is inevitable fact that foreign influence and support during the revolution was very important. Throughout his diplomatic term in Georgia, the US ambassador during the Rose revolution played an important role in coaching Mikhail Saakashvili in how to bring down Edward Shevardnadze.
The post-revolution situation
The Rose Revolution was aimed to open a path of creating a truly democratic political system, reforming the state structure, fighting corruption and improving the country's socio-economic conditions. The success of revolution triggered new presidential and parliamentary elections in Georgia, which established the United National Movement as the dominant ruling party. A non-violent revolution set up a new government, which began a series of reforms. Following the Rose Revolution, Georgia pursued a decidedly pro-Western foreign policy and declared European and Euro-Atlantic integration as its main priority. At the same time the revolution showed the country’s current political condition: the extreme weakness of the patronage system which Shevardnadze operated; fundamental internal problems of weak and fragile statehood; and the fact that the country’s population has accumulated significant democratic potential. The transfer of power to the opposition was determined in the January 2004 presidential election (M. Saakashvili won as much as 96. 2% of the vote) and in the March 2006 parliamentary elections, in which the opposition also won. The success of the Rose Revolution also left Georgia with many challenges to face. President Mikhail Saakashvili outlined the key things that needed to change: corruption, economics, education, regional integration, energy security, peace and international security. Georgia’s November revolution has for many years’ reflection both within and beyond the country’s borders. Georgia has sent a clear message that democratic change in this post-Soviet space is still on the agenda and that authoritarian tendencies are not as omnipotent as sometimes appears. But even after the revolution, the most complex dimensions are relations with Russia.
