Georgia's Velvet Revolution: New Leader Urges Calm

In accordance with Georgia's constitution, presidental duties passed to outgoing parliament speaker Nino Burdzhanadze, who hailed the non-violent transition of power and praised the police and army for standing on the side of the people.

"We have managed to overcome the gravest crisis in Georgia's recent history without shedding a single drop of blood," Burdzhanadze said. In her first televised address late on Sunday, she urged people to remain calm and return to work. Elections are expected to be held within 45 days.

Mass protests

Parliamentary elections on November 2 were widely thought to have been rigged. They triggered three weeks of protests in the Georgian capital,Tbilisi. Discontent with the leadership of President Eduard Shevardnadze, 75, had been mounting in the former Soviet state for more than a decade, with many people blaming him for their country's impoverished, corrupt state.

The political crisis came to a head on Saturday when opposition supporters led by Mikhail Saakashvili stormed the parliament building. Shevardnadze's first response was to declare a state of emergency and refuse to hand over power. On Sunday, following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, Shevardnadze agreed to resign after 11 years in power.

"I see that all this simply cannot go on. If I was forced tomorrow to use my authority it would lead to a lot of bloodshed. I have never betrayed my country and so it is better that the president resigns," he said in televised remarks.

Jubilation in Tbilisi

Tens of thousands of Georgians greeted the news with joy, waving the flag of the opposition, singing songs, honking their car horns and dancing late into the night. The scenes were reminiscent of those 14 years ago, when the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended, a revolution that, ironically, Shevardnadze helped bring about.

The speed of this latest revolution has left Georgians wondering what is coming next. Many see Saakashvili, the 35-year-old leader of the opposition National Movement and a pro-Western reformer, as the best candidate for president. He led the political fight against Shevardnadze, and praised his decision to step down.

"The president has accomplished a courageous act," said Saakashvili. "By his resignation, he avoided spilling blood in the country ... History will judge him kindly."

Support from abroad

Both the United States and the European Union say they are ready to work with Georgia's new interim government to help the country maintain stability and democracy.

"The United States and the international community stand ready to support the new government in holding free and fair parliamentary elections in the future," said U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, adding that Secretary of State Colin Powell had called Burdzhanadze to offer support.

The European Commission said it is confident that the handover of power in Georgia will remain non-violent, and that it is essential the country conduct democratic elections in line with international standards.

The whereabouts of ousted leader Shevardnadze are still unclear, but German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's spokesman has said Shevardnadze would be welcome in Germany should he want to come. The Georgian played a key role in the reunification of East and West Germany while he was foreign minister of the Soviet Union.