Backers of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili were headed for domination of the Georgian parliament, an exit poll showed after balloting marred by allegations of intimidation in a province whose leader is a vehement foe of the president.
The National Movement-Democrat party was leading early Monday with 55 percent of the vote, followed by the Rightist-Industrialist bloc with 10.7 percent -- the only two parties to pass the 7-percent requirement to gain seats in parliament, according to an exit poll of 120 voting stations, the Interfax news agency reported Sunday.
PHOTO: EPA
The election, the final step in re-establishing political order after the November resignation of former Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze amid massive public protests, was shadowed by high tensions surrounding the Adzharia autonomous province.
Central Elections Commission head Zurab Chiaberashvili described "chaos" at two Adzharian polling stations, spoiled ballots and reports of "physical abuse and intimidation of the elections commission members" at several other stations, the ITAR-Tass news agency said.
However, it quoted him as saying that the incidents did not give cause to declare voting invalid in all of Adzharia.
Adzharian leader Aslan Abashidze said that Georgian special forces disguised as observers were arrested at a polling station and "it is those people who could have organized riots," according to Interfax.
Tensions over Adzharia troubled the election run-up this month as Saakashvili pushed to bring the province back under control of the central government and Abashidze alleged Saakashvili was preparing for war.
The tensions peaked on March 15, when Adzharian border guards blocked Saakashvili from entering the province on a campaign trip. Saakashvili imposed an economic blockade on Adzharia and four days later won an agreement from Abashidze to ensure free and fair voting in the province.
Abashidze and Saakashvili have been at odds since early November.
The latter led protests sparked by parliamentary elections that were fraudulent.
The massive protests forced Shevardnadze to resign and Saakashvili was elected in January to replace him.
Sunday's elections were to choose deputies for 150 party-list seats in the 235-member parliament, replacing the annulled November results.
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