The Rose Revolution

A peaceful protest movement that forced the resignation of Georgia's president Eduard Shevardnadze.

Background

By 2003 Georgia suffered from corruption, weak public services and unreliable elections. Opposition leaders, including Mikheil Saakashvili, accused the government of widespread fraud in the parliamentary election of 2 November.

Course of events

Mass demonstrations took place in Tbilisi for three weeks. On 22 November opposition supporters, with Saakashvili carrying a rose, entered the parliament building while Shevardnadze was giving a speech. He resigned the following day.

Legacy

Saakashvili won the presidential election in January 2004 and carried out reforms, especially against low-level corruption. His later years in office were controversial, and Georgia's politics remained sharply divided.