Rose Revolution

In November 2003 Georgians forced President Eduard Shevardnadze to resign after fraudulent parliamentary elections.

Overview

The 2 November 2003 parliamentary elections were marred by massive fraud documented by domestic monitors and parallel vote tabulation. Mikheil Saakashvili led protests that grew to tens of thousands in Tbilisi, carrying roses as their symbol. On 22 November, as the new parliament convened, protesters bearing roses burst into the chamber, and the following day Shevardnadze resigned under pressure that included the defection of the interior ministry. Saakashvili won the January 2004 presidential election with an overwhelming majority. The young reformers rebuilt the traffic police, fought petty corruption, and pivored the country westward, provoking confrontation with Russia that ended in the 2008 war. The Rose Revolution opened the decade of color revolutions and the pushback that followed.