In two periods since the early nineties, first under presidents Shevardnadze and then under president Saakashvili, democratic progress in Georgia stalled. For the Georgian case the explanatory...Show moreIn two periods since the early nineties, first under presidents Shevardnadze and then under president Saakashvili, democratic progress in Georgia stalled. For the Georgian case the explanatory merit of two theories that attempt to explain democratisation is assessed . Carothers’ revised transition paradigm better explains the stagnation of democratic progress in Georgia in the Shevardnadze era, while presidential power theory is better at explaining that stagnation in the period of Saakashvili's presidential terms.Show less