Georgian leader may face run-off

Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili sings the national anthem with his supporters last night

Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili sings the national anthem with his supporters last night. Photo: Reuters/David Mdzinarishvili

Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili beat his opponents in a snap presidential election, early results showed today, but he faced the prospect of a potentially risky second round run-off.

With about a quarter of the vote counted, Saakashvili, who swept to power in a bloodless revolution in 2003, had 48.55 per cent of the vote, just short of the 50 per cent threshold needed to win outright in the first round.

After an exit poll and initial results had pointed to a first-round win, thousands of protesters gathered in the capital to accuse Saakashvili of rigging the vote.

Western observers said the election was broadly fair, making it harder for the opposition to challenge the result, and the United States urged them to respect the observers' verdict.

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Georgia lies on the route of a major pipeline pumping oil from the Caspian Sea to Europe and is the scene of a tussle for regional influence between Russia and the United States.

Saakashvili called the early election to try to rebuild his tattered democratic credentials. He shocked his Western allies by ordering police to fire tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in November.

"I perceive this election as a viable expression of the free choice of the Georgian people, but the future holds immense challenges," said Alcee L. Hastings, a leader of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) observer mission.

The result represents a huge drop in popularity for 40-year-old Saakashvili, who enjoyed the support of about 90 per cent of the population when he was elected to his first term.

About 5,000 opposition activists braved the snow to protest the election, which they said Saakashvili had rigged.

Saakashvili's opponents have accused the US-educated lawyer of autocratic rule, economic mismanagement and corruption.

Saakashvili, who swept to power in a peaceful so-called "Rose Revolution" in 2003, shocked Western allies by violently crushing anti-government street protests in November.