Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's ruling party headed for a crushing victory in municipal elections yesterday, exit polls showed after a vote seen as a key test of his democratic credentials.
Facing his first electoral hurdle since Georgia's 2008 war with Russia, Mr Saakashvili's National Movement swept the vote for Tbilisi city council and a key ally retained the powerful mayor's post in the capital, exit polls said.
The election, for 1,730 positions in 64 municipalities across the former Soviet republic, was watched closely from abroad for signs that pro-Western Mr Saakashvili remains committed to democratic reforms.
"The final result of the vote is that democracy has won," Mr Saakashvili said in televised remarks after the exit poll results were released, standing side-by-side with incumbent Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava. International observers will deliver a verdict on the conduct of the vote today. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe deployed about 200 observers for the vote.
The election saw the first-ever direct elections for the mayor's post in Tbilisi, a position seen as a potential springboard for the presidency after Mr Saakashvili's second term ends in 2013.
Mr Saakashvili's National Movement took 60 per cent of the vote for Tbilisi city council and Mr Ugulava was returned to office with 61 per cent of the vote, according to exit polls for television stations Rustavi-2 and Imedi. Main opposition contender Irakli Alasania took 17 per cent of the mayoral vote while his Alliance for Georgia party took 16 per cent of the vote for the city council, the exit poll said.
Another exit poll for the Georgian Public Broadcaster gave Mr Ugulava 60 per cent and the National Movement 59 per cent of the vote, and Mr Alasania 18 percent and his party 17 per cent.
Exit poll figures were not available for the rest of Georgia, but Tbilisi is traditionally seen as an opposition stronghold so the ruling party is expected to score strong results outside the capital.
Pre-election polls forecast that Mr Saakashvili's party would win the vote comfortably amid deep divisions in the opposition and continued support for his economic reforms.
Final results are expected today. About 3.5 million people were registered to vote and turnout across the country had reached 40 per cent by 5 p.m. yesterday.
"We should wait for the final results, but we can say that what we are witnessing today is a victory for Georgian democracy," Mr Ugulava said. "There is a lot of work ahead. The hard work starts tomorrow."
Hailed as a leading democratic reformer after he came to power in the peaceful 2003 Rose Revolution, Mr Saakashvili has seen Western support wane over his handling of the war, which saw Russian forces pour into Georgia to repel an assault on the Moscow-backed breakaway South Ossetia region.
Mr Saakashvili's reputation has also been damaged by opposition claims of growing authoritarianism, including accusations that authorities rigged previous elections, persecute political opponents and manipulate the media.
Opposition leaders are promising to call supporters to the streets if they consider the vote unfair, but analysts say they do not expect a repeat of large-scale demonstrations held against Mr Saakashvili last year.
Mr Alasania's team expressed some concerns about alleged violations of election rules but said there were no initial signs of widespread falsifications on voting day.
Voting in Tbilisi, 47-year-old doctor Lisa Kvirikashvili said she had backed Mr Saakashvili's party, which in recent years has overseen a dramatic facelift and major infrastructure improvements in the capital.
"Tbilisi today is much better than several years ago. Ugulava is a good mayor," she said.