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.

Launching fireworks and champagne corks into the air, thousands of Georgians revelled today in the resignation of President Eduard Shevardnadze in boisterous street celebrations in the capital Tbilisi, marking what many called a “holiday of freedom.”