The opposition in Georgia has been staging daily protests for over a month in an attempt to force President Mikhail Saakashvili to resign. SPIEGEL ONLINE spoke with opposition leader Salome Zurabishvili about the state of democracy in Georgia and the country's path to the West.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ms. Zurabishvili, on Monday you and three other opposition politicians were invited to speak with President Mikhail Saakashvili about the crisis in Georgia and ongoing anti-government protests. Were you able to find common ground?

Opposition flags were flying outside the Georgian parliament on Wednesday. Salome Zurabishvili: We were expecting a real dialogue with the president. A genuine dialogue about how we were going to find a way out of this political crisis. Unfortunately he was not prepared for such a talk. He seems to have lost his grip on reality and imagines that 65 percent of the population support him. He says the only crisis in Georgia is the aftermath of the worldwide economic crisis.