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| - Georgians voted Saturday in tightly contested parliamentary elections pitting an unlikely union of opposition forces against the increasingly unpopular ruling party led by the country's richest man. Two colourful personalities dominate politics in the tiny Caucasus country -- the former president Mikheil Saakashvili, who lives in exile in Ukraine, and the billionaire ex-prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili believed to be calling the shots in the pro-Western country. In an unprecedented show of unity, Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM) and smaller opposition groups have joined forces to challenge the ruling Georgian Dream party chaired by Ivanishvili. Dozens of voters queued in the autumn sunshine outside a polling station in the centre of the capital Tbilisi minutes after polls opened at 0400 GMT, with many wearing masks. "I am very optimistic, Georgia will today get rid of Ivanishvili and his corrupt government," plumber Lasha Guruli told AFP. Another voter, mathematician Lamara Lagvilava, said she had also voted for the opposition. "Georgia can't stand any longer the incompetence of the Georgian Dream government," she added. The election is being closely watched by Tbilisi's Western allies to see if Georgia can keep up its reputation as a rare example of a democracy among ex-Soviet countries. Polls in the country of nearly four million people regularly spark mass protests, with only one orderly transition of power after a parliamentary vote in 2012. Ivanishvili said he was sure of his party's victory. "We will comfortably win the elections, garner at least 60 percent of the votes and will again form a cabinet," he said at a polling station in Tbilisi. Saakashvili for his part said he had no doubt the opposition would trounce Ivanishvili and his party. "His time is up," he wrote on Facebook. One of the UNM leaders, Zaal Udumashvili, claimed, citing information from polling stations, that "the opposition is winning the elections, with a huge lead." But analysts believe the outcome is far from certain amid allegations of pressure placed on public servants that they say give an unfair advantage to the ruling party. "Georgian Dream is unchecked in its use of unlimited administrative and financial resources", said analyst Gia Nodia. Despite a spike in coronavirus infections, voter turnout was higher than during the parliamentary elections in 2016. Turnout stood at nearly 46 percent as of 1300 GMT, the Central Election Commission said. On Thursday, tens of thousands of Saakashvili supporters staged a rally in Tbilisi's central square, cheering as he addressed them by video link. The charismatic reformer was forced to flee Georgia at the end of his second term as president in 2013, fearing arrest after prosecutors accused him of abusing power -- charges he has denied. In power since 2012, Georgian Dream's popularity has plummeted due to discontent over its failure to address economic stagnation and perceived backsliding on its commitment to democracy. Critics accuse Ivanishvili of persecuting political opponents and creating a corrupt system in which private interests dominate politics. "An oligarch who owns some 40 percent of Georgia's national wealth has appropriated the country and is ruling it as his fiefdom," Saakashvili told AFP in an interview ahead of the vote. Western capitals have accused the Georgian Dream-led government of mounting a political witch-hunt against the ex-president and his allies and Interpol has turned down requests from Tbilisi to issue a red notice against Saakashvili. Nearly all of Georgia's opposition parties, including Saakashvili's UNM, held talks on forming a coalition government if elected. Due to Georgia's complex election rules the final makeup of the 150-seat parliament may only become clear by late November. "Georgia has committed to uphold international standards for free and fair elections," US ambassador Kelly Degnan said on Facebook. "The international community is watching to see that these standards are met, because Georgia's voters deserve to cast their ballots in a free and fair election," she said. Voting, set to end at 1600 GMT, was being monitored by observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The first preliminary results are expected to be released after 2000 GMT. im/as/pvh
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