Georgia's President Concedes Parliamentary Election Defeat

Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili Admits Election Loss -- BBC

President Mikheil Saakashvili has admitted his party has lost Georgia's parliamentary election, in a live TV announcement.

He said the Georgian Dream bloc of his main rival, billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, had won Monday's election.

Victory for Mr Ivanishvili means the first democratic transfer of power in Georgia's post-Soviet history.

Mr Ivanishvili said the "only right decision" would now be for Mr Saakashvili to resign.

Mr Saakashvili, who has led the country since 2003, is due to remain in power until presidential elections next year.

Under agreed reforms, the parliament and prime minister will acquire greater powers than the president after that election.

Early results showed Georgian Dream ahead in the party list vote, which accounts for 77 of the 150 seats.

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More News On Georgia's Parliamentary Election

Georgia’s President Concedes Defeat in Parliamentary Election -- New York Times
Georgian president concedes his party lost -- AP
Georgia's President Concedes Election Defeat -- Wall Street Journal
Georgia's president concedes defeat in parliamentary elections -- CNN
Georgia Billionaire Scores Shock Vote Upset Over Saakashvili -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Georgia Ruling Party Concedes Defeat in Parliamentary Election -- Voice of America
Georgia's president Saakashvili concedes election defeat -- The Guardian
Georgian opposition celebrates as both sides see victory -- Reuters
Elections in Georgia: Why the Stakes are So High -- Liz Fuller, The Atlantic
Georgia’s leader-apparent is an eccentric zebra-collecting billionaire with a Russian past -- Washington Post/AP
Georgia's Election: Did Saakashvili Concede Defeat Prematurely? -- The Atlantic

Political Change In Georgia?

Both Sides Claiming Victory in Georgia -- Voice of America

Both sides are claiming victory in Georgia's parliamentary election, even with the outcome far from certain.

Pro-Russian billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili's Georgian Dream coalition is challenging President Mikhail Saakashvili's United National Movement for control of parliament.

Exit polls give Georgia Dream the lead, based on the count of votes for party lists. This accounts for about half the seats.

Mr. Saakashvili says his party has won where the seats are filled by popular vote for individual candidates.

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More News On The Parliamentary Election In Georgia

Georgia's ruling party and rivals claim election win -- Reuters
Georgia's president, opposition both claim victory -- Bloomberg Businessweek/AP
Georgia Opposition Celebrate Election "Victory" -- RIA Novosti
Georgia's Mikheil Saakashvili set to lose control of parliament -- The Telegraph
Georgia opposition coalition 'ahead' in popular vote -- BBC
Georgia Opposition Appears to Lead Popular Vote -- Wall Street Journal
Georgia Challenger Draws Strong Support, Exit Poll Shows -- New York Times
Georgian exit polls point to election win for Bidzina Ivanishvili -- The Guardian
News Guide to Georgia as It Holds Crucial Election -- ABC News/AP

Eleven Militants And Three Georgian Special Forces Killed In Clashes Near Russian Border

Georgian Army Operation On Russian Border Leaves 14 Dead -- BBC

Three Georgian soldiers and 11 suspected militants have been killed in an army operation along the border with Russia, Georgian officials said.

Georgia deployed forces to free several people taken hostage by the gunmen.

The gunmen had crossed from the Russian republic of Dagestan, where armed Islamist insurgents operate, Georgia's interior ministry said.

Correspondents say there are fears the incident could increase tensions between Russia and Georgia.

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More News On Today's Clashes On The Georgia - Russia Border

Georgia says 3 soldiers, 11 militants killed near Russia border -- Reuters
Georgia Frees Hostages Along Border With Russia -- New York Times
Georgian Troops Battle Militants -- Wall Street Journal
Georgia Says 11 Militants Killed, Hostages Freed Near Russia -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Georgia says 14 killed in clashes near Russia border -- AFP
Georgia says 14 killed in clashes near border -- Al Jazeera
Georgian police reportedly eliminate terrorists on Russian border -- RT

Georgian Troops Getting Ready for Deployment in Afghanistan

Georgian 33rd Light Infantry Battalion troops during the battalion's deployment ceremony.

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Georgia's Saakashvili Seeking U.S. Weapons to Deter Russia

President Mikheil Saakashvili, on the eve of a visit by Vice President Biden, said the arms "would make any hotheads think twice" about military action. (By Irakli Gedenidze -- Pool)

From The Washington Post:

TBILISI, Georgia, July 21 -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili urged the United States on Tuesday to supply his country with advanced defensive weapons, warning on the eve of a visit by Vice President Biden that a decision not to provide such arms would encourage a Russian invasion.

In a wide-ranging interview, Saakashvili said that discussions about a weapons deal remained at "very early stages" but that he planned to press Biden to speed up delivery of antiaircraft and antitank systems, saying such weaponry was "purely defensive" and "would make any hotheads think twice about further military adventures."

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Update: Biden in Georgia to express support, urge reform -- Reuters

My Comment: The U.S. is not going to arm Georgia. Their relationship with Russia is many magnitudes more important to the U.S. than jeopardizing it by giving Georgia a few shipments of weapons.

Vice President Biden's trip to Georgia is all PR .... and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is just deluding himself if he thinks he is going to get anything substantial from this visit.

Behind The Military Mutiny In Georgia

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, far left, surrounded by guards. Irakli Gedenidze / Presidential Press Service/ Pool / AP

From Time Magazine:

Georgia's government has called Tuesday's mutiny at a military base near Tbilisi part of a coup attempt orchestrated by Russia, but opponents of beleaguered President Mikheil Saakashvili accuse him of using the incident to crack down on mounting domestic opposition. Soldiers in tanks and armored personnel carriers raced to the base in Mukhrovani, 20 miles from the capital, to confront mutinous soldiers, about 500 of whom were arrested after the standoff ended peacefully.

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More News On The Crisis In Georgia

Police and protesters clash in Georgia's capital -- AP
Georgia Protesters Battle Police in First Violent Outbreak -- New York Times
Bid to storm Georgia police HQ repelled -- Brisbane Times
Demonstrators, Police Clash In Georgian Capital -- Voice of America
Anti-government clash in Georgia -- BBC
NATO war games launch despite Russia's fierce objections -- L.A. Times
Georgia war games strain NATO-Russia relations -- China View
Georgia war games feed tensions between Russia, NATO -- CBC

Tensions In Georgia As NATO Exercises Start

President Saakashvili of Georgia, far left, with his bodyguards, enters the military base where about 500 soldiers surrendered. Photo from Times Online.

NATO Exercise Begins Amid Tensions -- The New York Times

TBILISI, Georgia — A day after Georgia announced that it had put down a brief military mutiny aimed at disrupting NATO military exercises, the drills began Wednesday over Russian objections.

According to the Georgian account of the mutiny, government forces surrounded a tank battalion whose leaders were planning the uprising some 25 miles from Tbilisi, the capital. A few hours later, most of the unit’s 500 soldiers surrendered, and several of their commanders were detained.

President Mikheil Saakashvili said Russia was hoping to derail the NATO exercises, which he called a “symbolic event.”

“We are asking our northern neighbor to refrain from any provocations,” Mr. Saakashvili said of Russia, in a televised interview.

Russia immediately denied any role in the unrest.

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More News On Georgia And NATO

NATO holds Georgia war games, Russia critical -- AP
Nato kicks off Georgia exercises -- BBC
Russia, NATO in battle of wills over Georgia -- Reuters
Nerves rising over Georgia situation -- The Australian
Uprising adds to pressure on Georgia's president -- Brisbane Times
Russia criticises Nato exercises in Georgia -- ABC News (Australia)
FACTBOX - NATO military exercises in Georgia -- Reuters
NATO begins exercises in Georgia -- China View
Georgia, Moscow Trade Allegations on Military Uprising -- Voice of America
Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili claims to have crushed army mutiny -- Times Online

Army Revolt In Georgia Denounced As 'Russian-Backed Attempted Coup'

Georgia 'Foils Russia-Backed Coup' On Eve Of Nato Exercises -- Times Online

Georgia claimed today to have foiled a Russian-backed plot to stage a military coup on the eve of training exercises involving Nato troops.

The Defence Ministry said that a tank battalion had mutinied at a base in Mukhrovani, 20 miles east of Tbilisi, and were refusing to obey orders.

An Interior Ministry spokesman also announced that special services had uncovered a plot to topple the government involving a former high-ranking officer at the Defence Ministry.

The dramatic development came a day before Georgia hosts three weeks of military exercises with Nato that Russia has condemned as provocative so soon after the war over the breakaway region of South Ossetia last August.

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More News On This Attempted Military Coup In Georgia

Georgian troops 'launch mutiny' -- BBC
Georgian army unit refusing to obey orders after coup reports -- RIA Novosti
Tank battalion mutinied, Georgian defense minister says -- ITAR-TASS
Army revolt in Georgia denounced as 'Russian-backed attempted coup' -- The Guardian
Georgia accuses Russia of backing military coup -- The Age
Georgian troops mutiny ahead of NATO exercises -- CNN
Georgia says coup underway at military base -- Reuters
Georgia claims Russian-backed 'coup' underway -- The Telegraph
Georgia accuses Russia of plotting coup -- Press TV
Georgia Says Mutiny Underway -- Voice of America
Georgia Is Focal Point in U.S.-NATO Russian Tension -- New York Times
Russia deploys troops along Georgia's internal border -- The Telegraph

Nato Has 'No Will' To Admit Georgia Or Ukraine

From The Telegraph:

Nato is suffering from 'enlargement fatigue' and has no will to admit Georgia or Ukraine, according to Poland's foreign minister Radek Sikorski.

Mr Sikorski, who is a leading contender to become Nato's secretary-general when the Alliance selects a new chief in April, told The Daily Telegraph that membership for both countries was a "fairly distant prospect".

But he denied that Russia, which attaches great importance to thwarting Nato's enlargement, had achieved a victory.

Ukraine and Georgia were both promised Nato membership at a summit in Bucharest last April. But no timetable was offered and, four months later, Russia raised the stakes by invading Georgia.

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My Comment: NATO has very little will to do anything now.