Georgia's President Moves Up Election Date
Statement Defuses Week-Long Crisis, Follows Crackdown

By Tara Bahrampour
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 9, 2007

TBILISI, Georgia, Nov. 8 -- In a surprise announcement after a day of violent suppression of opposition demonstrators, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili announced Thursday night that he would move the next presidential election up to Jan. 5, nearly a year earlier than scheduled.

Speaking on state television as police patrolled the streets of Tbilisi, the capital, Saakashvili promised "the most democratic, most free, most transparent elections during my presidency for the past four years." He added that he needed a strong mandate to resist opponents who he says are backed by Russian intelligence agencies.

His announcement, which followed strong Western criticism of his use of force against demonstrators and his declaration of emergency powers, appeared to calm the week-old crisis. Some opposition figures signaled their readiness to take part in the election; others dropped out of sight and at day's end had made no statements.

In his address, the president said a referendum would also be held Jan. 5 to decide whether to change the date set for parliamentary elections, an issue that has divided politicians here and helped set the stage for the anti-government demonstrations.

The announcement was welcomed by some analysts who had predicted a day earlier that the country, a close U.S. ally situated next to Russia, could descend into civil war.

Giorgi Margvelashvili, a Georgian political scientist, said Saakashvili had defused a potentially catastrophic standoff and was likely to win the election. The move "was very smart, very proactive," Margvelashvili said. "It was like the old Saakashvili."

The move buoyed the president politically after a week of dismal public relations in which thousands of protesters rallied peacefully against him outside the Parliament, then were dispersed by riot police with tear gas and rubber bullets. The government declared a 15-day state of emergency late Wednesday and shut down most news outlets. Foreign news channels such as CNN and the BBC were knocked off cable systems.

Under the U.S.-educated Saakashvili, Georgia has drawn close to the United States and European Union. On Thursday, the government continued a feud with Russia that has been heightened by the crisis.

In his speech Thursday, Saakashvili said that because of his crackdown, Georgia had avoided a coup that had been months in the making, an apparent allusion to his claim of a Russian conspiracy against his government.

In Moscow, the government announced that it would expel three Georgian diplomats in response to Georgia's expulsion of three Russians the day before. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said on television that Georgia was "approaching a serious human rights crisis."

But criticism from normally friendly quarters in the West appeared to have more effect in Georgia. The NATO alliance said the government's actions were "not in line with Euro-Atlantic values." The United Nations cited a "disproportionate use of force." And the corruption-monitoring group Transparency International called the government's measures "excessive."

Steven Guice, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, said Saakashvili had been in regular contact with American and European leaders since the crisis began. After the events of Wednesday, "I think it's fair to say a lot of people were trying to get hold of him," he said. "I think all of Georgia's friends sort of spoke up."

The State Department issued a statement Thursday applauding the announcement and urging the government to lift the state of emergency and restore suspended news broadcasting.

The crisis has threatened the presidency of the man who swept to power four years ago promising democracy and openness and who is known for a sometimes confrontational approach. During this showdown, however, some observers said he appeared distant and insecure. "He was lost," Margvelashvili said.

Opposition leader David Usupashvili said he believed Saakashvili had been swayed by the international pressure.

The streets of Tbilisi were lined with troops and army trucks Thursday, but the city remained quiet, and Saakashvili said the state of emergency would soon be lifted.

After the announcement, many Georgians appeared relieved that a more serious political crisis had been averted. Usupashvili said the president's decision would help the country stay on track to "join the tribe of democratic states."

Still, he said, it was a compromise. The president's reversal would force the opposition coalition to quickly groom a candidate and would undercut its calls for a less powerful president and a stronger Parliament. "On the one hand, we want to have a strong candidate," he said. "On the other hand, if he or she becomes president, he or she will have to support . . . reducing significantly the power of the president."

Badri Patarkatsishvili, a billionaire businessman who has helped fund the often-splintered opposition, accused the president of trying to hide behind "pseudo-democratic demagoguery" and predicted he would use underhanded tactics in the election.

Georgian political analyst David Darchiashvili said that given the short notice, it would be difficult for the opposition to find a candidate who is influential enough to threaten Saakashvili. "But it's no less difficult for Saakashvili," he added, "because right now the population witnessed excess force by the police and that's associated with him. Right now, very many people are angry with him."

By running in an early election, Darchiashvili said, the president "puts everything on the table."