The fading rose of Georgia's revolution: will elections bring fresh hope?

Georgia’s Rose Revolution of 2003 signalled the beginning of a new era for the former Soviet Union Republic. The triumphant new political elite, headed by President Mikheil Saakashvili, vowed to establish a democratic state characterised by respect for human rights, a corruption-free government and a functioning market economy seeking integration with Europe and eventual EU membership. In this new CEPS Commentary, authors Hrant Kostanyan and Tika Tsertsvadze note that almost a decade after the revolution, Georgia is a state in which overreliance on political personalities, as opposed to democratic state institutions, has remained the norm. And the personality credited with leading Georgia to the path of democracy may end up undermining the very process he once started