Mikheil Saakashvili
After school, Saakashvili studied law. He then initially worked for the Institute for Human Rights in Oslo. He then worked as a lawyer in New York. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and Georgia's independence, Saakashvili returned to his homeland. He entered parliament as a member, where he was the leader of the "Citizens' Union" faction. Under President Eduard Shevardnadze, Saakashvili temporarily headed the Justice Ministry.
However, since he was investigating his government colleagues for alleged corruption, he soon had to resign from this office. During Shevardnadze's third term in office, however, Saakashvili increasingly came into opposition to the long-time president. After his party alliance won the November 2003 parliamentary elections through massive manipulation and falsification, Saakashvili was one of the key opposition leaders who brought about Shevardnadze's resignation in November 2003.
In the presidential elections of January 2004, Saakashvili was elected as Shevardnadze's successor. The new head of state declared the reunification of Georgia, which was threatened by separatist efforts in the provinces of Adjaria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, to be torn apart as his first goal. At the end of the month, Saakashvili's first state visit was to Germany, where he confirmed to Chancellor Gerhard Schröder his desire for his country's future integration into NATO and the EU.
In the parliamentary elections of March 2004, Saakashvili's alliance of the National Union and the Democrats emerged as the clear winner. Since the percentage threshold for entry into parliament was increased to 7%, no other party made it into the people's assembly. As 2004 progressed, the domestic political situation in Georgia worsened. In May, President Saakashvili prevailed in the power struggle with the province of Adjara, where the separatist governor Aslan Abashidze and other government representatives resigned and the central power took control again.
Saakashvili then tried to re-integrate Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which have been asserting their state independence from Georgia since the mid-1990s and are supported by their powerful neighbor Russia. This brought the Georgian president into repeated diplomatic conflicts with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On January 5, 2008, he was re-elected president in early presidential elections in Georgia with 53.47% of the votes counted.
Mikhail Saakashvili is married to a Dutch woman and has one child.
However, since he was investigating his government colleagues for alleged corruption, he soon had to resign from this office. During Shevardnadze's third term in office, however, Saakashvili increasingly came into opposition to the long-time president. After his party alliance won the November 2003 parliamentary elections through massive manipulation and falsification, Saakashvili was one of the key opposition leaders who brought about Shevardnadze's resignation in November 2003.
In the presidential elections of January 2004, Saakashvili was elected as Shevardnadze's successor. The new head of state declared the reunification of Georgia, which was threatened by separatist efforts in the provinces of Adjaria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, to be torn apart as his first goal. At the end of the month, Saakashvili's first state visit was to Germany, where he confirmed to Chancellor Gerhard Schröder his desire for his country's future integration into NATO and the EU.
In the parliamentary elections of March 2004, Saakashvili's alliance of the National Union and the Democrats emerged as the clear winner. Since the percentage threshold for entry into parliament was increased to 7%, no other party made it into the people's assembly. As 2004 progressed, the domestic political situation in Georgia worsened. In May, President Saakashvili prevailed in the power struggle with the province of Adjara, where the separatist governor Aslan Abashidze and other government representatives resigned and the central power took control again.
Saakashvili then tried to re-integrate Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which have been asserting their state independence from Georgia since the mid-1990s and are supported by their powerful neighbor Russia. This brought the Georgian president into repeated diplomatic conflicts with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On January 5, 2008, he was re-elected president in early presidential elections in Georgia with 53.47% of the votes counted.
Mikhail Saakashvili is married to a Dutch woman and has one child.
