The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party is deeply concerned about events in Georgia over the past few days and is calling on the Georgian government to lift the state of emergency.Late on 7 November, after public rallies were broken up by police and two television signals brought down, a 15-day state of emergency for the whole country was announced. Citizens’ rights to hold meetings and demonstrations are now being restricted. News from independent television stations is also being restricted.Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili has announced on TV that extraordinary presidential elections will be held on 5 January, 2008. He said that there would be a plebiscite on the timing of parliamentary elections at the same time. Saakashvili has pledged that the state of emergency now will be much shorter than was announced and that restrictions will be soon lifted.Tinatin Khidasheli, the International Secretary of the Republican Party of Georgia, an ELDR member party, said: “This has been a confusing and stressful period and we now hope that everything will return to normal with citizens’ democratic rights being fully restored.”“The ELDR urges the Georgian government to bring the state of emergency to an end as soon as possible and, above all, to refrain from the use of any unnecessary force on peaceful protestors,” said ELDR President Annemie Neyts. The Republican Party of Georgia joined the ELDR at the party’s Berlin Congress on 18-19 October. Led by David Usupashvili, it was founded in May 1978, illegally at that time, as the first organisation with a clear political aim of state independence for Georgia, on the basis of political pluralism and democratic institutions, free media, and a market economy. Up until the 2004 elections, it was a partner of the ruling National Movement Party, but decided to join the opposition following these elections.For more information, contact Tinatin Khidasheli from the Republican Party of Georgia (khidasheli@republicans.ge)  or Julian Hale, communications officer at the ELDR (on 00 32 (0)2 237 0143, 0473 690749 or communication@eldr.eu)