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Monday 24 November 2003
President of Georgia resigns
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The speaker of the Georgian parliament, Nino Burdzhanadze, has taken over as head of state following the dramatic resignation of the President, Eduard Shevardnadze, on Sunday. Speaking on national television, Miss Burdzhanadze appealed for calm and stability in the coming days. This report from Chloe Arnold:
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A tired but happy Nino Burdzhanadze addressed the nation on television, saying Georgia had overcome its gravest crisis in recent history. The task now was to restore the country to its usual rhythm of life, she said.
Georgia's President, Eduard Shevardnadze, handed in his resignation on Sunday evening following massive pressure for him to step aside. After talks at his home with opposition leaders and the Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, he told the nation he was leaving office to prevent bloodshed.
Earlier army units abandoned ranks, saying they were joining forces with the opposition. There was almost no violence during the campaign to oust the President which opposition leaders are calling a velvet revolution.
Thousands of Georgians celebrated on the streets of the capital for most of the night. They cheered and waved the red and white cross of St. George, the patron saint and the symbol adopted to represent the new Georgia.
New elections are expected to be called within the next two months to choose a parliament and a President.
CHLOE ARNOLD, BBC, TBILISI
Listen to the words
gravest
most serious
its usual rhythm of life
its normal way of life
massive
very great, very strong
to step aside
to resign from an important position of authority, allowing someone else to take over
leaving office
here - resigning from his position as President
bloodshed
violence in which people are killed or wounded
abandoned ranks
left their military positions
to oust
to force someone to leave a job or a place - in this case, to force the President to give up his job
a velvet revolution
a change to the political system of a country brought about by a large group of people by peaceful means
the patron saint
a saint who is regarded as the spiritual guardian of a country, person, or group of people
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