A Study of Regime Change in Georgia(2003), Ukraine(2004) and Kyrgyzstan(2005)

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The purpose of this study is to explore the process of regime change in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. Why did regime change happen? What are the differences between these three cases? How did the opposition emerge? Did the common factors of successful regime change have varied degree in each country? Through a literature review, the author points out the main factors of this wave of regime change: the source of election competitiveness, the emergence of opposition vis-à-vis the regime legitimacy crisis, and foreign influence of information accessibility. The thesis argues that the elections held in these three countries with different backgrounds and political environments contributed to various origins of opposition forces against the authorities. Electoral frauds led to the crisis of regime legitimacy. In addition, under the influence of different level of information accessibility, public demonstration put the ruling regime into an imminent crisis. Finally, the strategies of mass protest and the incumbents’ decisions resulted in regime change.