Essay Sample on Georgia Rose Revolution of 2003

After a flawed election in Georgia, people took to the street to demand justice in a revolt that came to be known as the Georgia Rose Revolution. The demonstration led to the overthrow of president Eduard Shevardnadze who had been in power since 1995. The revolution got its name after the protesters stormed the parliamentary sessions holding roses.

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Georgia had faced a number of challenges since gaining independence from the Soviet Union from ethnic violence to violence by separatist groups. However, this situation got worse after Shevardnadze was elected the president in 1995.

Shevardnadze government was accused of massive corruption, and human rights abuses. The country's main economic drivers were misused while a few people got rich. The president and his government officials were charged with numerous counts of corruption. The corruption scandal played a critical role in the decline of popularity and the mass support from both his supporters and opponents (BBC, 2005). The corruption was so rampant that by 2002 crime had soared to unprecedented levels. It was not t possible to get any service without paying a bride. The corruption had also discouraged investors from taking their money to Georgia due to the bribes and extortions that had to be paid to keep a business afloat. The corruption in the government had almost bankrupted the country with civil servants missing their pay for several months. The police force was corrupt from the beginning with recruits having to pay the ministry of defense or senior police official to get a job (CNN, 2003). After recruitment, they were supposed to buy their uniforms and equipment needed to work. The policemen would then enter into the police force with the intention of recovering the money they had spent to get the job. The victim o this system was the ordinary man who had to pay bribes to accomplish the simplest thing.

The instability in the country also led to economic stagnation, loss of jobs and a sentiment from the population about the need for change. In 2003, the country held its parliamentary elections a move that would determine who the next president will be in 2005 when the country holds its presidential elections. After, the election, the country erupted into protest after Shevardnadze's party was declared the winner. People believed the president had rigged the elections in favor of his party (BBC, 2005). The demonstrations lasted for several days and finally, the president stepped down. Elections were held the following year with Mikheil Saakashvili who was the leader of the opposition movement winning with a landslide victory having run unopposed.

After the overthrow of the president, the country saw a significant change under the new leadership. In February 2004, Georgia's parliament strengthened the powers of the president and elected a cabinet and a prime minister. Mr. Saakashvili then formed a tribunal that was tasked with tackling corruption and getting back the country's wealth that had been looted. The committee set to deal with corruption cases found dozens of the former ministers had engaged in corrupt practices (Monson, 2009,). The judges sentenced most of these officials to life in prison. Additionally, the assets and saving belonging to these individuals were confiscated and the money moved to government coffers. Some of the supporters of Mr. Saakashvili got cabinet positions while others were given jobs in the new government in various capacities.

References

BBC. (2005, May 10). BBC NEWS | Europe | How the Rose revolution happened. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4532539.stm

CNN. (2003). CNN.com - Saakashvili bids to lead Georgia - Nov. 26, 2003. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/11/26/georgia.candidate/index.html

Monson, G. C. (2009). Georgia after Rose Revolution. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.