An Awesome Mandate

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GEORGIAN LEADER EDUARD SHEVARDNADZE COULD barely suppress his jubilance at what he called the "embarrassing" results in the parliamentary elections. In the first balloting held in the republic since President Zviad Gamsakhurdia was forcibly deposed last January, Georgians by a majority of 95% endorsed the former Soviet Foreign Minister's uncontested bid to become chairman of a new parliament. Shevardnadze promised his new constituents that he would do everything he could "not to leave them disappointed."

Shevardnadze had staked his reputation on the parliamentary elections. The gamble paid off. Georgians turned out to vote in such huge numbers -- over 80% cast ballots in most regions -- that many had to wait for hours in line. Armed with such a mandate, Shevardnadze hopes to revive peace talks with Moscow over the Abkhazian crisis, and promptly moved last week to set up a new defense council to bring his own military forces under control.