Tbilisi, Nov 22:
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze declared a state of emergency today after
opposition supporters overran parliament. He had earlier vowed not to resign as he was hustled out
of the Parliament building after opposition supporters broke
in and seized the speaker`s podium.
"I will not resign. I will resign when the
presidential term expires, according to the constitution,``
Shevardnadze said before he was driven away from the
Parliament, accompanied by armed guards in riot gear.
Shevardnadze was whisked away after opposition leader
Mikhail Saakashvili led hundreds of his supporters into the
chamber. They overturned desks and chairs and leapt onto the
podium just after the president officially convened the body.
It was not immediately clear where he was taken.
“The velvet revolution has taken place in Georgia,``
Saakashvili said, as the hall applauded him. “We are against
violence.``
This poverty-stricken ex-Soviet republic had slid
into its biggest political crisis in years after November 02
parliamentary elections, which the opposition and many
foreign observers claimed were rigged.
Inside the parliament, fist fights broke out after
Saakashvili ordered all pro-government lawmakers to leave the
building. Some of the pro-government deputies were beaten as
they left the area.
Bureau Report
