Trouble has been brewing in Georgia since the disputed 2 November parliamentary election, which the opposition, international monitors, and the United States say was marred by fraud. After weeks of protests, opposition supporters upped the ante on 22 November by occupying the parliament building. Shortly afterwards, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze declared a state of emergency following what he called an attempted "coup d'etat." The pressure proved too much for the Georgian president and on 23 November, after meeting with opposition leaders and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, Shevardnadze finally stepped down after 11 years in power. The country's new interim leader, Nino Burdjanadze, the former speaker of parliament, has appealed for calm and has promised that new elections will be held in 45 days.
Follow all of the latest developments in the situation on RFE/RL's "Georgia's Bloodless Coup" webpage.
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