(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-11-14 21:21

TBILISI -- Georgian parliament speaker Nino Burdzhanadze said on Wednesday that the state of emergency will be lifted on Friday.

"I am authorized to declare on behalf of the Georgian government that emergency rule will be lifted on November 16 in all the country's territory," Burdzhanadze told a televised news briefing.

"Life will switch to a normal regime. I hope we will begin preparing for the elections and will hold them in a fair manner," said the speaker, adding that she was making the statement on instructions from the nation's top leadership.

Georgia's state of emergency, which bans public demonstrations and independent newscasts, was imposed after a police crackdown on anti-government protesters last Wednesday.

The United States and the European Union had urged Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili to end the emergency rule.

Georgia will reschedule its presidential elections from autumn to Jan. 5 next year, Saakashvili said last Thursday.