Charmed circle of Revolution

A new wave of anti-government rallies began in Georgia after May 2. According to ex-parliamentary speaker Nino Burdjanadze, the only way to make current president Mikhail Saakashvili resign is a wide popular movement. She pointed out that future elections won’t do any good: if a major change in public opinion won’t cause a change in power now, Saakashvili’s team will be able to restore its control over the Parliament before the elections. The opposition demands the resignation of the President and special elections. Ms Burdjanadze also said that events might take a violent turn and copy the model of North African upheavals.

That would become the third revolution for Georgia: one took place in 1992, another in 2003. The All-Georgian Representative Council – an opposition organization supported mainly by Georgian intellectuals - is ready to respond to Nino Burdjanadze’s calls, but several important opposition figures have already declared that they want no part in any possible future revolution.

Our VK correspondent asked the Representative Council’s supporters and opponents to comment on current events and the prospects for the near future.

Ex-head of Georgian Special Services of President Shevardnadze’s Administration, one of the Council’s leaders, Iracliy Batiashvili:

We have already declared that we are planning to re-launch mass protests, and we hope that this month they will grow into total civil disobedience. Is a revolution possible? We are preparing for non-violent struggle, but I don’t know if the authorities will hesitate to use force against the people. We are prepared for such a development.

Levan Berdzenishvili, dissident of Soviet times, one of the opposition Republican Party leaders:

Our party won’t participate in these actions. Georgia’s facing too many other problems now. And there’s no spirit of the revolution in the air now, and you can’t fake it. Ms Burdzanadze has the right to act as she considers appropriate, but we’ll wait and see.

David Gamkrelidze, “New Right Force” Party chairman:

It’s hard to say what Nino Burdzanadze would actually do to overthrow the government. And we have declared many times that we won’t be any part of plans that are created without consulting our Party. So we won’t support any revolution.

Are there any preconditions for a revolution? I don’t know, but personally I’m strongly against such shocks. And I disagree with Ms Burdzanadze as far as future elections are concerned: I believe that we have reached considerable progress in that area with the help of our American friends.

Just imagine: in the past 20 years Georgia hasn’t seen a single change of power via proper elections. Not a single one! All changes were triggered by riots and violence! It’s like a charmed circle we can’t break.

That is why we and other opposition parties are trying to change the electoral law, to prevent police and other forces from intervening in the polling process. That’s the only way to assure that the next time authorities will be changed in a proper way: via elections.

Independent political expert Joseph Tsintsadze:

I don’t think the radicals will succeed. There are no revolutionary conditions in Georgia now. There are social problems, but they are not that major. And there’s no political force in Georgia that would be able to lead the people through a revolution. And people do not believe that any revolution can solve all the existing problems. Public protest doesn’t always lead to popular uprising, you know.

Interview by Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi, exclusively to VK.