Georgia is restoring the monument to Stalin

The monument to Soviet dictator Joseph Visarjonovich Stalin in his hometown of Gora, which was demolished three years ago, will be restored, the Georgian Ministry of Culture announced today.

Culture Ministry spokeswoman Elena Samkaradze added that restoration of the Stalin monument should be completed by his birthday, December 21.

The Stalin statue is just one of the Soviet monuments that were demolished in Georgia during the rule of pro-Western President Mikheil Saakashvili.

The restoration of the monument is part of the destruction of Saakashvili's political legacy after the parliamentary elections last fall, when his party lost to the coalition led by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the prime minister who is pro-Russian, according to the AP agency.

Although Saakashvili's presidential term ends in October, his power has been further weakened by the constitutional reform, which transferred part of the president's powers to the parliament and the prime minister.