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Georgia’s Saakashvili wins vote

07 January 2008 10:57 (UTC +04:00)

His nearest challenger was bitter opponent Levan Gachechiladze, with 25.72 percent, according to the incomplete official count.
Earlier Monday the election commission’s chairman, Levan Tarkhnishvili, announced a Saakashvili victory.
However, he said he was basing this on unofficial results, including figures reported by telephone and therefore having no legal force.
Saakashvili, who called Saturday’s election in the wake of violent unrest in November, needed to cross a 50-percent barrier to win in a single round.
But the opposition immediately rejected the vote count and took to the streets of the snow-covered capital Tbilisi to protest alleged fraud.
"We don’t believe their figures. We don’t believe this," said Tamar Rukhadze, spokeswoman for the official runner-up Levan Gachechiladze, who officially got 27 percent.
The commission’s announcement was highly surprising since it showed over half of results arriving within just one hour, after having trickled in for 24 hours following close of polls.
Another opposition leader, Tina Khidasheli of the Republican Party, expressed suspicion.
"I think they didn’t even count those numbers," she said
Gachechiladze led a rally of several thousand people in central Tbilisi to denounce what he said was ballot stuffing, stealing ballot boxes, and sending supporters to vote multiple times.
Davit Gamkrelidze, a presidential candidate and leader of the New Rights Party, who earlier had conceded defeat, also said on January 6 that Saakashvili should now face a run-off against Gachechiladze. Another candidate, Giorgi Maisashvili, has said the same thing. Shalva Natelashvili, the leader of the Labor Party, meanwhile, has called for repeat presidential polls in two months, claiming widespread violations.
Saakashvili invited Polish President Lech Kaczynski to his inauguration ceremony. The ceremony will be held in the second half of the month. Presidents of Kazakhstan, Estonia congratulated Saakashvili on winning the election. /APA/