TBILISI – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili’s party swept to victory in dozens of municipal votes yesterday in the first electoral test for the pro-Western leader since he lost a 2008 war to Russia, exit polls showed.
Mr Saakashvili’s party won at least 60 per cent of the vote in a series of municipal council elections, beating a fragmented opposition that has struggled to capitalise on public anger over the war and the recession that followed.
Opposition leaders said the elections were marred by problems with voter lists, pressure on observers and illegal campaigning. The OSCE was due to deliver its report on the vote today.
Ruling party candidate Gigi Ugulava won re-election as mayor of Tbilisi with 60.4 per cent of the vote, setting him up for a possible presidential run in 2013 when Mr Saakashvili is due to step down.
Relations with Russia remain fraught, and some opposition leaders have sought rapprochement in the hope of ending an embargo. – (Reuters)