The president, Mikheil Saakashvili, delivered his annual state of the nation address to parliament on February 11th. In his speech Mr Saakashvili outlined a list of development targets to be achieved by 2015, leading to further speculation that he intends to remain in power after his constitutional mandate as president expires in 2013, in order to see these targets met. There has been much speculation that Mr Saakashvili plans to switch to the position of prime minister in 2013 in order to prolong his leadership. Constitutional amendments will enter into force in 2013 that will significantly increase the powers of the prime minister (December 2010, The political scene). However, in a televised phone-in session on January 25th, Mr Saakashvili insisted that the new constitutional arrangement was not modelled on individuals, and that from 2013 Georgia would experience collective governance. He went on to claim that his main interest was where the country would be, not the position that he would hold as an individual after 2013.

In terms of foreign policy, Mr Saakashvili insisted that he wants a dialogue with Russia, but that Georgia would not tolerate the disintegration and occupation of the country. The president added that Georgia's progress towards EU and NATO integration was unwavering and that Russia had been unable to isolate Georgia.

In response to the address, Giorgi Targamadze, the leader of the Christian Democratic Movement (the largest parliamentary opposition party), criticised Mr Saakashvili for undermining the independence of the media and the judiciary, and claimed that the president was on the top of a pyramid of corruption that sought to hide how public money was spent. The Christian Democratic Movement, seen by many opponents of the government as a "tame" opposition, has stepped up its criticism of the president and his government in recent months. In late November Mr Targamadze accused the government of "violence" towards the business community. As a parliamentary election in 2012 approaches, the Christian Democratic Movement is keen to highlight the difference in its policies compared with those of the government.