Election officials in the former Soviet republic of Georgia have suspended the counting of ballots in the general election, as 10,000 protesters call for President Eduard Shevardnadze to step down. Officials say they have decided to stop tallying votes in the disputed November 2 poll because of the many complaints of irregularities they have received. Mr Shevardnadze is fighting for his political life, with protesters marching on downtown Tbilisi in the biggest political demonstration since a civil war in 1991, which eventually swept him to power. Thousands vowed they would not budge from outside the country's parliament building until Mr Shevardnadze, who has fallen out of favour because of a stumbling economy and increasing corruption, resigns. For about an hour, Mr Shevardnadze was trapped in his office after a splinter group of about 100 protesters blocked the only road leading from the presidential administration building.
| Looks like the end of an era. Hope they don't shoot him, though... |
|