Georgia’s interim president pledged today to hold elections in 45 days and called on police and security services to restore order after a wave of protest swept longtime President Eduard Shevardnadze out of power.

Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze was swept out of power by a wave of opposition, stepping aside without bloodshed after a decade of mounting discontent and three weeks of protests over parliamentary elections his critics said highlighted the corruption that has plagued the former Soviet republic during his reign.

Georgia President Eduard Shevardnadze, under increasing pressure for weeks over fraud in parliamentary elections, announced his resignation on Georgian television today.