Imedi Owner to Run for Pres

Patarkatsishvili has announced that he will be running in the elections on the 5th. He is still wanted by authorities for his part in the attempted "coup"

I have no idea if people will vote for this guy. He is a multi-billionaire and owns imedi.. I am not sure how that makes him qualified to run a country. However, he has vowed that he will spend every penny he owns to change the government in this country.

International News Back

Everything is calm here since the opposition seems pretty happy that Saakashvili called early elections.

Of course he called them so early that no opposition candidate really has time to prepare. There really isn't an opposition candidate likely to get a majority of votes at this point. So my guess is that Saakashvili will win anyway.

BBC and CNN are back on, but we still are not receiving any local news.

Saakashvili's Speech

http://qartuli.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/%e1%83%a1%e1%83%90%e1%83%9e%e1%83%a0%e1%83%94%e1%83%96%e1%83%98%e1%83%93%e1%83%94%e1%83%9c%e1%83%a2%e1%83%9d-%e1%83%90%e1%83%a0%e1%83%a9%e1%83%94%e1%83%95%e1%83%9c%e1%83%94%e1%83%91%e1%83%98-2008/#more-45


For a full text of Saakashvili's speech yesterday announcing early elections.

http://www.geotimes.ge/

According to rumors

Rumors being spread among PC volunteers and other foreigners in Georgia (claiming that this is the word of the US embassy) is that Saakashvili will be resigning on Nov 23rd- as this is the only way to hold legitimate elections by the 5th of January. There has been no information about this on TV and Saakashvili did not mention it in his speech.

From my friend Amil

Amil: I'm sure a lot of people are asking you questions and with media down you know very little now. I just wanted to pass on that I was talking to my old CP and she said "(protesters) were in Batumi at the university, but special forces came this morning and they dispersed the protesters, they beat the students and even used a tear gas". Man that is insane.

Elections will be held in January

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7085097.stm

Saakashvili just announced that elections will be moved up to January.

State of emergency will last 15 days...

Rustaveli Closed from Marco Polo to Freedom Square

"Misha Tsadi" [Misha Leave]

Rustaveli

News

Today seems eerily calm. Because the government shut down Imedia and another station, we are not getting any local news about current events. The other two Georgian stations are instead playing "Friends" and an infomercial. If the governments goal was to leave people in the dark... they have done it.

Additionally, I can't tell if it is purposeful or just a strange coincidence, but we are not receiving CNN or BBC today along with a few other random channels.

Without having any news I don't know if people will just sit back and stop caring or all go out to town to try and find out whats going on.