Color revolutions or Flower revolutions are the names given collectively to a series of related movements that developed in post-communist societies in Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, and are possibly spreading elsewhere including some places in the Middle East. Some observers have called the events a revolutionary wave. Post-Communism is a name sometimes given to the period of political and economic transition in former communist states located in parts of Europe and Asia, usually transforming into a free market capitalist and globalized economy. ... Central Europe The Alpine Countries and the Visegrád Group (Political map, 2004) Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... A revolutionary wave is a series of revolutions occurring in various locations. ...

Participants in the Color Revolutions have used mostly nonviolent resistance to protest against governments seen as entrenched and authoritarian, and to advocate democracy, liberalism, and national independence. They usually also adopt a specific color or flower as their symbol, and the protests are notable for the important role of Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and particularly student activist organizations in organizing creative nonviolent resistance. Nonviolent resistance (or nonviolent action) is the practice of applying power to achieve socio-political goals through symbolic protests, economic or political noncooperation, civil disobedience and other methods, without using violence. ... Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value. ... Self-determination is a principle in international law that a people ought to be able to determine their own governmental forms and structure free from outside influence. ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ... A Phalaenopsis flower Rudbeckia fulgida A flower, (<Old French flo(u)r<Latin florem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). ... The term non-governmental organization (NGO) is used in a variety of ways all over the world and, depending on the context in which it is used, can refer to many different types of organizations. ... Students occupying Sheffield town hall over the introduction of higher education fees Student activism is work done by students to effect political, environmental, economic, or social change. ...

So far these movements have been successful in Yugoslavia (especially Serbia - the 2000 Bulldozer Revolution), Philippines (the 2001 EDSA Revolution), Georgia (the 2003 Rose Revolution), Ukraine (the 2004 Orange Revolution), and (though more violent than the previous ones) Kyrgyzstan (the 2005 Tulip Revolution). Each time massive street protests followed disputed elections and led to the resignation or overthrow of leaders considered by their opponents to be authoritarian. Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, Југославија in Cyrillic; English: Land of the South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... Anthem Serbia() on the European continent() Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian 1 Recognised regional languages Hungarian, Croatian, Slovak, Romanian, Rusyn 2 Albanian 3 Government Semi-presidential republic  -  President Boris Tadić  -  Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Establishment  -  Formation 9th century   -  First unified state c. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bulldozer Revolution is the colloquial name for the series of events that occured in 2000 in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, that culminated with the downfall of Slobodan MiloÅ¡evićs regime. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... The EDSA Revolution of 2001, also called by the local media as EDSA II (pronounced as Edsa dos) or the Second People Power Revolution, is the common name of the four-day popular revolution that peacefully overthrew Philippine President Joseph Estrada in January 2001. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 2003 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Orange-clad supporters of Viktor Yushchenko gather in Independence Square in Kiev. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      This article applies to political and organizational ideologies. ...

Color revolutions

Post-communist states

• The 5th October revolution in 2000, which led to the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević. These demonstrations are considered by many to be the first example of the peaceful revolutions that followed. However, the Serbians adopted an approach that had already been used in parliamentary elections in Slovakia (1998) and Croatia (2000), characterized by civic mobilization through get-out-the-vote campaigns and unification of the political opposition. The nationwide protesters did not adopt a color or a specific symbol, however the slogan "Gotov je" (Готов је, he is finished) did become an aftermath symbol which celebrated the completion of the task. Despite the commonalities, many others refer to Georgia as the most definite beginning of the series of "color revolutions." The demonstrations were supported by the youth movement Otpor, some of whose members were involved in the later revolutions in other countries.
• The Rose Revolution in Georgia, following the disputed Georgia legislative election, 2003, led to the overthrow of Eduard Shevardnadze and his replacement by Mikhail Saakashvili after new elections were held in March 2004. The Rose Revolution was supported by civic resistance movement Kmara.
• The Orange Revolution in Ukraine, followed the disputed second round of the 2004 presidential election and led to the annulment of the result and the repeat of the round—leader of the opposition Viktor Yushchenko was declared president, defeating Viktor Yanukovych. The Orange Revolution was supported by Pora.
• The Tulip Revolution, was more violent than its predecessors and followed the disputed Kyrgyz parliamentary elections, 2005. At the same time it was more fragmented than previous such revolutions. The protesters in different areas adopted different colors for their protests (pink and yellow). This revolution was supported by youth resistance movement KelKel.

Map of Color Revolutions. ... The front page of the first issue of the Politika daily newspaper after the 5th October overthrow, released around midnight October 6, 2000. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... “MiloÅ¡ević” redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Gotov je (je is pronounced like English colloquial yeah for yes - Serbian: Готов је, meaning He is finished!) was a slogan created by Otpor (Resistance), a Serbian based student group formed in 1998, as the key symbol for the overthrow of Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević on October 5, 2000. ... Otpor! (Cyrillic: ОТПОР!, in English: Resistance!) was a pro-democracy youth movement in Serbia which has been widely credited for leading the eventually successful struggle to overthrow Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević in 2000. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of Georgia on November 2, 2003. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Mikhail Saakashvili briefing the press at UN headquarters Mikhail Saakashvili (Georgian: მიხეილ სააკაშვილი) (born December 21, 1967, in Tbilisi) is a Georgian jurist and politician and the current President of Georgia. ... Legislative elections were held in the Republic of Georgia on March 28, 2004. ... Kmara flag Kmara (Georgian: კმარა) is a civic resistance movement in the republic of Georgia which undermined the government of Eduard Shevardnadze. ... Orange-clad supporters of Viktor Yushchenko gather in Independence Square in Kiev. ... The presidential election held in November and December 2004 in Ukraine was mostly a political battle between Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and former Prime Minister and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko. ... Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko (Ukrainian:  ) (born February 23, 1954) is the current President of Ukraine. ... Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (Ukrainian: ; Russian: ) (born on July 9, 1950 in Yenakiieve, Donetsk Oblast) is the Prime Minister of Ukraine. ... The rising sun of Pora! symbolizes a new dawn Pora! (Ukrainian: ), meaning ITS TIME! in Ukrainian, is a civic youth organization in Ukraine espousing nonviolent resistance and advocating increased national democracy, in opposition to what they claimed was the authoritarian governing style of Ukraines president Leonid Kuchma. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The 2005 Kyrgyz parliamentary elections were held in February and March 2005. ... KelKel is a youth resistance movement in the republic of Kyrgyzstan. ...

Related usages in the Middle East

The following events, having taken place in the Middle East instead of post-Communist Europe and Central Asia, have nonetheless at times been described as part of the series of colored revolutions, and their popular names designed specifically to draw the parallel. Nonetheless they have marked differences with the revolutions described above, and thus their inclusion in the series of "colored revolutions" is so far not universally accepted.

• The Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, unlike the revolutions in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, followed not a disputed election, but rather the assassination of opposition leader Rafik Hariri in 2005. Also, instead of the annulment of an election, it demanded the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. Nonetheless, some of its elements and some of the methods used in the protests have been similar enough that it is often considered and treated by the press and commentators as one of the series of "color revolutions". The Cedar of Lebanon is the symbol of the country, and the revolution was named after it. The peaceful demonstrators used the colors white and red, which are found in the Lebanese flag.
• "Purple Revolution" was a name first used by some hopeful commentators and later picked up by United States President George W. Bush to describe the coming of democracy to Iraq following the 2005 Iraqi legislative election and was intentionally used to draw the parallel with the Orange and Rose revolutions. However, the name has not achieved widespread use in Iraq, the United States or elsewhere. The name comes from the color that voters' index fingers were stained to prevent fraudulent multiple voting.

• "Blue Revolution" was a term used by some Kuwaitis [1] to refer to demonstrations in Kuwait in support of women's suffrage beginning in March of 2005; it was named after the color of the signs the protesters used. In May of that year the Kuwaiti government acceded to their demands, granting women the right to vote beginning in the 2007 parliamentary elections. [2] Since there was no call for regime change, this cannot be categorized as a true color revolution.

Cedar Revolution has become the most commonly used name for the chain of demonstrations and popular civic action in Lebanon (mainly Beirut) triggered by the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005. ... Rafik Baha ad-Din Hariri — (November 1, 1944 – February 14, 2005), (Arabic: ) a self-made billionaire and business tycoon, Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation on 20 October 2004. ... Binomial name Cedrus libani A. Rich. ... Flag ratio: 2:3 The flag of Lebanon was adopted on December 7, 1943. ... Iraqi police officers hold up their index fingers marked with purple indelible ink, a security measure to prevent double voting. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Iraqi police officers hold up their index fingers marked with purple indelible ink, a security measure to prevent double voting. ... The term womens suffrage refers to an economic and political reform movement aimed at extending suffrage — the right to vote — to women. ...

Influencing factors

Anti-Communist revolutions

Many have cited the influence of the series of revolutions which occurred in Central and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly the Velvet Revolution in Prague (Czechoslovakia) in 1989. A peaceful demonstration by students (mostly from Charles University) was attacked by the police - and in time contributed to the collapse of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Yet the roots of the pacifist floral imagery may go even further back to the non-violent Carnation Revolution of Portugal in the mid 1970's. Non-violent protesters face armoured policemen The Velvet Revolution (Czech: , Slovak: ) (November 16 – December 29, 1989) refers to a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the communist government there. ... Nickname: Motto: Praga Caput Rei publicae Location within the Czech Republic Coordinates: , Country Czech Republic Region Capital City of Prague Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Pavel Bém Area  - City 496 km²  (191. ... The Charles University of Prague (also simply University of Prague; Czech: Univerzita Karlova; Latin: Universitas Carolina) is the oldest and most prestigious Czech university and among the oldest universities in Europe, being founded in 1340s (for the exact year, see below). ... The Carnation Revolution (Portuguese, Revolução dos Cravos) was an almost bloodless, leftist, military-led coup détat, started on April 25, 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, that effectively changed the Portuguese regime from an authoritarian dictatorship to a liberal democracy after two years of a transitional period known as PREC...

Student movements

The first of these was Otpor ("Resistance") in Serbia, which was founded at Belgrade University in October 1998 and began protesting against Milošević during the Kosovo War. Many of its members were arrested or beaten by the police. Despite this, during the presidential campaign in September 2000, Otpor launched its "Gotov je" (He's finished) campaign that galvanized Serbian discontent with Milošević and resulted in his defeat. Otpor! (Cyrillic: ОТПОР!, in English: Resistance!) was a pro-democracy youth movement in Serbia which has been widely credited for leading the eventually successful struggle to overthrow Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević in 2000. ... University of Belgrade is the highest educational institution in Belgrade and Serbia. ... The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts (a civil war followed by an international war) in the southern Serbian province called Kosovo (officially Kosovo and Metohia), part of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ... Gotov je (je is pronounced like English colloquial yeah for yes - Serbian: Готов је, meaning He is finished!) was a slogan created by Otpor (Resistance), a Serbian based student group formed in 1998, as the key symbol for the overthrow of Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević on October 5, 2000. ...

Members of Otpor have inspired and trained members of related student movements including Kmara in Georgia, Pora in Ukraine, Zubr in Belarus and MJAFT! in Albania. These groups have been explicit and scrupulous in their practice of non-violent resistance as advocated and explained in Gene Sharp's writings.[3] The massive protests that they have organized, which were essential to the successes in Serbia, Georgia and Ukraine, have been notable for their colorfulness and use of ridiculing humor in opposing authoritarian leaders. Kmara flag Kmara (Georgian: კმარა) is a civic resistance movement in the republic of Georgia which undermined the government of Eduard Shevardnadze. ... The rising sun of Pora! symbolizes a new dawn Pora! (Ukrainian: ), meaning ITS TIME! in Ukrainian, is a civic youth organization in Ukraine espousing nonviolent resistance and advocating increased national democracy, in opposition to what they claimed was the authoritarian governing style of Ukraines president Leonid Kuchma. ... Zubr (Belarusian: ЗУБР) is a civic youth organization in Belarus in opposition to President Aleksandr Lukashenko. ... MJAFT! (Albanian for enough) is a nonpolitical organization in Albania that aims to raise awareness of the many political and social problems facing Albania. ... Nonviolent resistance (or nonviolent action) is the practice of applying power to achieve socio-political goals through symbolic protests, economic or political noncooperation, civil disobedience and other methods, without the use of physical violence. ... Gene Sharp (born 21 January 1928) is a political scientist, author and founder of the Albert Einstein Institution, a non-profit organisation which studies and promotes the use of nonviolent action. ...

Soros foundation and U.S. influence

Opponents of the color revolutions often accuse the Soros Foundation and/or the United States government of supporting and even planning the revolutions in order to serve western interests. It is noteworthy that after the Orange Revolution several Central Asian nations took action against the Open Society Institute of George Soros with various means -- Uzbekistan, for example, forced the shutting down of the OSI regional offices, while Tajik state-controlled media have accused OSI-Tajikistan of corruption and nepotism. [4] A Soros Foundation is one of a network of national foundations, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, which fund volunteer socio-political activity, created by George Soros, international financier and philanthropist, and coordinated since early 1994 by a management team called the Open Society Institute. ... Orange-clad supporters of Viktor Yushchenko gather in Independence Square in Kiev. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... The Open Society Institute (OSI) is a coordinating body, started in early 1994, of the national Soros Foundations, especially in Eastern Europe, which spends money donated by billionaire philanthropist George Soros. ... George Soros (pronounced ) [Shorosh] (born August 12, 1930, in Budapest, Hungary, as György Schwartz) is an American financial speculator, stock investor, philanthropist, and political activist. ... Motto none Anthem Surudi Milli Capital (and largest city) Dushanbe Official languages Persian (Tajik) Government Unitary state  -  President Emomali Rahmon  -  Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov Independence  -  Declared September 9, 1991   -  Completed December 25, 1991  Area  -  Total 143,100 km² (95th) 55,251 sq mi   -  Water (%) 0. ...

Evidence suggesting U.S. government involvement includes the USAID (and UNDP) supported Internet structures called Freenet, which are known to comprise a major part of the Internet structure in at least one of the countries - Kyrgyzstan - in which one of the color revolutions occurred. The United States Agency for International Development (or USAID) is the US government organization responsible for most non-military foreign aid. ... The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the largest multilateral source of grant technical assistance in the world. ... Several internet networks in Central Asia, specifically, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are financed by USAID and other USA governmental authorities and are called Freenet. ...

The Guardian claimed that USAID, National Endowment for Democracy, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and Freedom House are directly involved. [5] Information on these organizations' websites (of which the first four are funded by the US federal budget) is consistent with these claims. The United States Agency for International Development (or USAID) is the US government organization responsible for most non-military foreign aid. ... The National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, is a U.S. non-profit organization that was founded in 1983 to promote democracy by providing cash grants funded primarily through an annual allocation from the U.S. Congress. ... The International Republican Institute (IRI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. ... The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDIIA), a group established by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to channel grants for democracy-building activities in third world nations. ... This map reflects the findings of Freedom Houses 2006 survey Freedom in the World, concerning the state of world freedom in 2005. ...

Activists from Otpor in Serbia and Pora in Ukraine have said that publications and training they received from the US based Albert Einstein Institution staff have been instrumental to the formation of their strategies. Otpor! (Cyrillic: ОТПОР!, in English: Resistance!) was a pro-democracy youth movement in Serbia which has been widely credited for leading the eventually successful struggle to overthrow Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević in 2000. ... Anthem Serbia() on the European continent() Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian 1 Recognised regional languages Hungarian, Croatian, Slovak, Romanian, Rusyn 2 Albanian 3 Government Semi-presidential republic  -  President Boris Tadić  -  Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Establishment  -  Formation 9th century   -  First unified state c. ... The rising sun of Pora! symbolizes a new dawn Pora! (Ukrainian: ), meaning ITS TIME! in Ukrainian, is a civic youth organization in Ukraine espousing nonviolent resistance and advocating increased national democracy, in opposition to what they claimed was the authoritarian governing style of Ukraines president Leonid Kuchma. ... The Albert Einstein Institution is a US-based non-profit organization that specializes in the study of the methods of non-violent resistance. ...

Reactions and connected movements in other countries

• Armenia

Aram Karapetyan, leader of the New Times political party, has declared his intention to start a "revolution from below" in April 2005, saying that the situation was different now that people had seen the developments in the CIS. He added that the Armenian revolution will be peaceful but not have a color.^[1] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the chain of alternative weekly newspapers, see New Times Media. ...  Member state  Associate member Headquarters Minsk, Belarus Working language Russian Type Commonwealth Membership 11 member states 1 associate member Leaders  -  Executive Secretary Viktor Yanukovych Establishment December 21, 1991 Website http://cis. ...

• Azerbaijan

A number of movements were created in Azerbaijan in mid-2005, both inspired by the examples of Georgia and Ukraine. A youth group, calling itself Yox! (which means No!), declared its opposition to governmental corruption. The leader of Yox! said that unlike Pora or Kmara, he wants to change not just the leadership, but the entire system of governance in Azerbaijan. The Yox movement chose green as its color.^[2] YOX! is a nonviolent pro-democracy youth movement in Azerbaijan, which models itself after Otpor, Kmara, Pora, Zubr, and KelKel. ... The rising sun of Pora! symbolizes a new dawn Pora! (Ukrainian: ), meaning ITS TIME! in Ukrainian, is a civic youth organization in Ukraine espousing nonviolent resistance and advocating increased national democracy, in opposition to what they claimed was the authoritarian governing style of Ukraines president Leonid Kuchma. ... Kmara flag Kmara (Georgian: კმარა) is a civic resistance movement in the republic of Georgia which undermined the government of Eduard Shevardnadze. ...

The spearhead of Azerbaijan's attempted color revolution was Yeni Fekir ("New Idea"), a youth group closely aligned with the Azadlig (Freedom) Bloc of opposition political parties. Along with groups such as Magam ("It's Time") and Dalga ("Wave"), Yeni Fekir deliberately adopted many of the tactics of the Georgian and Ukrainian color revolution groups, even borrowing the color orange from the Ukrainian revolution.^[3][4]

In November 2005 protesters took to the streets, waving orange flags and banners, to protest what they considered government fraud in recent parliamentary elections.^{[citation needed]} The Azerbaijani color revolution finally fizzled out with the police riot on November 26, during which dozens of protesters were injured and perhaps hundreds teargassed and sprayed with water cannons.^[5]

• Belarus

There have been a number of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, with participation from student group Zubr. One round of protests culminated on March 25, 2005; it was a self-declared attempt to emulate the Kyrgyzstan revolution, and involved over a thousand citizens. However, police severely suppressed it, arresting over 30 people and imprisoning opposition leader Mikhail Marinich. Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko or Alyaksandar Ryhoravich Lukashenka (Belarusian: , Russian: ) (born August 30, 1954 at Kopys, Vitebsk voblast) has been the President of Belarus since 1994. ... Zubr (Belarusian: ЗУБР) is a civic youth organization in Belarus in opposition to President Aleksandr Lukashenko. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mikhail Marynich (Belarusian: &#1052;&#1110;&#1093;&#1072;&#1110;&#1083; &#1052;&#1072;&#1088;&#1099;&#1085;&#1110;&#1095;; Russian: &#1052;&#1080;&#1093;&#1072;&#1080;&#1083; &#1052;&#1072;&#1088;&#1080;&#1085;&#1080;&#1095; - Marinich) - a former minister of foreign economic affairs, and ambassador of Belarus to Latvia, currently an opposition leader in Belarus...

A second, much larger, round of protests began almost a year later, on March 19, 2006, soon after the presidential election. Official results had Lukashenko winning with 83% of the vote; protesters claimed the results were achieved through fraud and voter intimidation, a charge echoed by many foreign governments.^{[citation needed]} Protesters camped out in October Square in Minsk over the next week, calling variously for the resignation of Lukashenko, the installation of rival candidate Alaksandar Milinkievič, and new, fair elections; the crowds reached 30,000 at their peak.^[6] For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Location of Minsk, shown within the Minsk Voblast Coordinates: Country Subdivision Belarus Minsk Founded 1067 Government  - Mayor Mikhail Pavlov Area  - City 305. ... Alaksandar Milinkievič (official campaign photo) Alaksandar Milinkievič (also Alexander Milinkevich; Аляксандар Мілінкевіч in Belarusian, born 25 July 1947) is a Belarusian politician. ...

The opposition originally used as a symbol the white-red-white former flag of Belarus; the movement has had significant connections with that in neighboring Ukraine, and during the Orange Revolution some white-red-white flags were seen being waved in Kiev. During the 2006 protests some called it the "Jeans Revolution" or "Denim Revolution",^[7] blue jeans being considered a symbol for freedom. Some protesters cut up jeans into ribbons and hung them in public places.^{[citation needed]} It is claimed that Zubr was responsible for coining the phrase. The current national flag of Belarus was formally changed on June 7, 1995, following the result of a referendum voted on by the Belarusian people in the previous month. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Lukashenko has said in the past: "In our country, there will be no pink or orange, or even banana revolution." More recently he's said "They [the West] think that Belarus is ready for some 'orange' or, what is a rather frightening option, 'blue' or 'cornflower blue' revolution. Such 'blue' revolutions are the last thing we need". [6] On 19 April, 2005, he further commented: "All these colored revolutions are pure and simple banditry."[7] April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ...

• Moldova

The opposition in Moldova, is reported to have hoped and urged for some kind of Orange revolution, similar to that in Ukraine, in the follow up of the Moldovan parliamentary elections, 2005, while the Christian Democratic People's Party adopted orange for its color in a clear reference to the events of Ukraine.^{[citation needed]} Moldovan parliamentary elections, 6 march 2005 Turnout: 63. ... The Christian Democratic Peoples Party (Partidul Popular CreÅŸtin Democrat) is a Christian democratic political party in Moldova. ...

A name hypothesized for such an event was "grape revolution" because of the abundance of vineyards in the country; however, such a revolution failed to materialize after the governmental victory in the elections. Many reasons have been given for this, including a fractured opposition and the fact that the government had already co-opted many of the political positions that might have united the opposition (such as a perceived pro-European and anti-Russian stance). Also the elections themselves were declared fairer in the OSCE election monitoring reports than had been the case in other countries where similar revolutions occurred, even though the CIS monitoring mission strongly condemned them.

• Mongolia

On March 25, 2005 activists wearing yellow scarves held protests in the capital city of Ulan Bator, disputing the results of the 2004 Mongolian parliamentary elections and calling for fresh elections. One of the chants heard in that protest was "Let's congratulate our Kyrgyz brothers for their revolutionary spirit. Let's free Mongolia of corruption."[8] is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Coordinates: , Established as Örgöö 1639 current location 1778 Ulaanbaatar 1924 Area  - City 4,704. ...

• Russia

The liberal opposition in Russia is represented by several parties and movements, the most remarkable of which is Oborona youth movement. Oborona claims that its aim is to provide free and honest elections and to establish in Russia a system with democratic political competition. This movement is one of the most active and radical ones and is represented in a number of Russian cities. Oborona (Cyrillic: Оборона) is a non-partisan civic youth movement in Russia. ...

The opposition in the Republic of Bashkortostan has held protests demanding that the federal authorities intervene to dismiss Murtaza Rakhimov from his position as president of the republic, accusing him of leading an "arbitrary, corrupt, and violent" regime. Airat Dilmukhametov, one of the opposition leaders, and leader of the Bashkir National Front, has said that the opposition movement has been inspired from the mass protests of Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.[9] Another opposition leader, Marat Khaiyirulin, has said that if an Orange Revolution were to happen in Russia, it would begin in Bashkortostan.[10] The Russian Federation is divided into 88 federal subjects (constituent units), 21 of which are republics. ... The Republic of Bashkortostan, or Bashkiria (Russian: or ; Bashkir: ) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). ... Murtaza Gubaydullovich Rakhimov (Bashkir: Mortaza Ghöbäydulla uly Räximev; Russian: &#1052;&#1091;&#1088;&#1090;&#1072;&#1079;&#1072;&#769; &#1043;&#1091;&#1073;&#1072;&#1081;&#1076;&#1091;&#769;&#1083;&#1083;&#1086;&#1074;&#1080;&#1095; &#1056;&#1072;&#1093;&#1080;&#769;&#1084;&#1086;&#1074;) (born 1934) is the President of the Republic... Orange-clad supporters of Viktor Yushchenko gather in Independence Square in Kiev. ...

• Uzbekistan

There has been longstanding opposition to President Islom Karimov, from liberals and Islamists. The revolution in neighboring Kyrgyzstan began in the largely ethnic Uzbek south, and received early support in the city of Osh. Nigora Hidoyatova, leader of the Free Peasants opposition party, has referred to the idea of a farmers' revolution. She also said that her party is collaborating with the youth organization Shiddat, and that she hopes it can evolve to an organization similar to Kmara or Pora.[11] Another nascent youth organization in Uzbekistan is Bolga. Islom Abdug‘aniyevich Karimov (Russian: Ислам Абдуганиевич Каримов Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov) (born on 30 January 1938) has served as the President of Uzbekistan since 1991. ... For the home improvement store, see Orchard Supply Hardware. ... Peasant revolt is a term with broad application, typically meaning uprisings of rural or agricultural people against an existing order or establishment. ... Kmara flag Kmara (Georgian: კმარა) is a civic resistance movement in the republic of Georgia which undermined the government of Eduard Shevardnadze. ... The rising sun of Pora! symbolizes a new dawn Pora! (Ukrainian: ), meaning ITS TIME! in Ukrainian, is a civic youth organization in Ukraine espousing nonviolent resistance and advocating increased national democracy, in opposition to what they claimed was the authoritarian governing style of Ukraines president Leonid Kuchma. ...

See also

• April Revolution
• Non-violent revolution
• Non-violent resistance
• Carnation Revolution
• Rose Revolution

The April Revolution, sometimes called the April 19th Revolution was a popular uprising in April 1950, led by labor and student groups, which overthrew the autocratic First Republic of South Korea under Syngman Rhee. ... A non-violent revolution is a revolution using mostly nonviolent protest against governments seen as entrenched and authoritarian to advocate democracy, liberalism, and national independence in their nation. ... Nonviolent resistance (or nonviolent action) is the practice of applying power to achieve socio-political goals through symbolic protests, economic or political noncooperation, civil disobedience and other methods, without the use of physical violence. ... The Carnation Revolution (Portuguese, Revolução dos Cravos) was an almost bloodless, leftist, military-led coup détat, started on April 25, 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, that effectively changed the Portuguese regime from an authoritarian dictatorship to a liberal democracy after two years of a transitional period known as PREC... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

References

Further reading

• Pavol Demes and Joerg Forbrig (eds.). Reclaiming Democracy: Civil Society and Electoral Change in Central and Eastern Europe. German Marshall Fund, 2007.
• Joerg Fobrig (Hrsg.): Revisiting Youth Political Participation: Challenges for research and democratic practice in Europe. Council of Europe, Publishing Division, Strassbourg 2005, ISBN 92-871-5654-9
• Kurt Schock: Unarmed Insurrections: People Power Movements in Nondemocracies. University of Minnesota Press, 2005.
• Joshua A. Tucker: Enough! Electoral Fraud, Collective Action Problems, and the Second Wave of Post-Communist Democratic Revolutions. Arbeitspapier, vorgestellt auf dem ersten jährlichen Danyliw Forschungsseminar zum Studium ukrainischer Zeitgeschichte, Ottawa, 30. September - 1. Oktober 2005

External links

• The Center for Democracy in Lebanon
• Central Asian Backlash Against US Franchised Revolutions Written by K. Gajendra Singh, India's former ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan from 1992-1996.
• "Sowing seeds of democracy in post-soviet granite" - the future of democracy in post-Soviet states Written by Lauren Brodsky, a PhD candidate at the Fletcher School in Medford, Mass., focusing on US public diplomacy and the regions of Southwest and Central Asia.
• United 4 Belarus Campaign British campaign website drawing attention to the political situation in Belarus ahead of 2006 presidential elections.
• Michael Barker, Regulating revolutions in Eastern Europe: Polyarchy and the National Endowment for Democracy, 1 November 2006.