Saakashvili wins Georgian presidential election
07 January 2008
According to the preliminary official results Mikhail Saakashvili has been re-elected president of Georgia. He won the presidential election of 5 January with 52.8 percent of the vote. This means he will not have to contest a second-round run-off. Opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze came in second with about 27 percent of the votes. The opposition has already alleged the vote was rigged and mounted protests in the capital, Tbilisi.
In a joint statement monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe said the election was in essence consistent with most international standards for democratic elections.
The Head of the OSCE long-term mission, Dieter Boden, said: “We have noted an election which has been prepared in a professional manner but we would do a disservice to Georgian democracy if we did not also speak out openly where it was not in line with OSCE commitments, such as cases of intimidation. Those are challenges which should be addressed urgently and through the appropriate channels.”
Matyas Eorsi, the head of the monitoring group from the Council of Europe, also endorsed the election, adding: “"This election, although clearly not perfect, enabled the Georgian people to give a democratic response to the recent political crisis.”
Mr Saakashvili came to power after street protests in 2003, dubbed the Rose Revolution. During his term as president he aimed to strengthen the ties with NATO and the European Union. The president called the early election in an attempt to prove his democratic credentials after huge opposition protests were suppressed in November. Georgians were also asked to vote on whether they should have a parliamentary election in the coming months, and whether the country should join NATO. The results of those ballots are not yet clear.
