Georgia's Saakashvili gives controversial address amid protests

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili delivered an annual address in Tbilisi amid a growing political crisis in the country that forced him to change the venue and time of his speech.

Speaking on February 8 from his office in the presidential palace after being blocked from his original venue by protests, Saakashvili said he had fundamental differences with the parliament controlled by his rival Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.

"First thing, what they want is to move Georgia's parliament from Kutaisi to Tbilisi. I categorically disagree with this, and every responsible member of the minority also disagrees," Saakashvili said.

"This is the main, the chief difference between us and the Georgian government. They were very clear in voicing their motivation for moving the parliament from Kutaisi to Tbilisi. They, the government, want to establish effective control over the parliament."

He also said that the two sides differed over how Georgia's president should be elected.

"The second thing we, the minority, as well as myself as president disagree with is the new initiative to cancel direct presidential elections in Georgia. This is why they need to have a parliamentary majority, and they recently voiced this openly and prematurely. This is what the fight is all about, so that the next elections are not held in Georgia," Saakashvili said.