Exit poll: Saakashvili heading for Georgia election win

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-06-2008 09:44

In Georgia, exit polls indicate President Mikhail Saakashvili is headed for victory in the country's election. But the former hero of democracy now faces accusations of authoritarian leanings.

Georgia''s presidential candidate Mikhail Saakashvili greets his supporters in Tbilisi January 4, 2008. [Xinhua]

The exit poll shows Saakashvili winning Saturday's election with more than 50 percent of the vote.

But he needs an absolute majority to avoid a run-off election in two weeks.

The opposition, which claims the exit poll and the vote have been rigged has called its supporters onto the streets Sunday in protest.

Saakashvili's leading challenger, Levan Gachechiladze, received just over 28 percent of the vote, according to the exit poll.

If a second vote is held, it could allow the opposition, now split among six candidates, to unite behind Gachechiladze.

Saakashvili's opponents took to the streets in November. They accused him of ignoring the needs of the poor and showing a tendency toward authoritarianism.

He defused the crisis by calling an early election, cutting short his own five-year term.

After casting his ballot in Tbilisi, Saakashvili said he was dedicated to having a free and fair election.

The head of an election-monitoring mission says there does not appear to be anything to suggest any wrongdoing with the vote.

One-thousand international election observers are expected to play an important role in determining the legitimacy of the election.

Editor:Du Xiaodan