Victory for the Incumbent

An opposition rally in central Tbilisi ended without incident, with around 10,000 supporters of the nine-party coalition opposing Saakashvili dispersing without having conceded defeat.

Intial results submitted by close to 10 per cent of all electoral precincts had given Saakashvili some 57.15 percent of the vote, with opposition candidate Levan Gachechiladze trailing at only 24.4 percent, the Central Electoral Commission said. Saakashvili needs to get over 50 percent to avoid a second round of elections, which would be held at the earliest within two weeks.

Speaking to the opposition gathering in Rike Square, Gachechiladze called on his supporters to again rally on Tuesday after the announcement of official results.

"We will come together on Rike Square and celebrate our victory," he said.

Sunday's rally was held amid a low police presence and passed off without incident. Rike Square had been the scene of violent clashes two months ago when police put down an opposition demonstration using teargas and batons, leaving hundreds injured.

Opposition and foreign observers differ

Gachechiladze, who has accused the Saakasvili administration of rigging Saturday's polls, said more than 1,000 complaints of electoral fraud had been compiled.

Despite this claim, international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said on Sunday afternoon that the Georgian vote had for the most part been free and fair.

While the election was "in essence consistent with most international standards for democratic elections, significant challenges were revealed which need to be addressed urgently," the OSCE said in its formal report.

Conflicting indications

Supporters of the 40-year-old Saakashvili had already declared victory on Saturday. At a celebration on the Philharmonic Square, the president declared that Georgia had completed its most democratic elections ever.

Various opinion polls, however, had given conflicting indications, with one showing Saakashvili with only 24.4 percent of votes.

The election commission said voter turnout was about 56 percent at 3,500 election stations.

Saakashvili had come under international criticism in 2007 after he unleashed brutal police power in November against opposition protests, and called for Saturday's early elections with the intention of bringing the political crisis under control.

The government and most opposition parties support a pro-Western direction for the former Soviet republic, including entry into NATO and the European Union.