Georgia's Rulers, Opposition Both Claim Poll Victory

Thousands of cheering supporters of Georgian Dream gathered to celebrate in the capital Tbilisi after the polls closed late on Sunday. Photo by BBC

Georgia's governing party and the opposition have both claimed victory in the country's parliamentary elections.

Early results suggest the opposition Georgian Dream coalition, led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, had a clear lead in votes for party lists.

But President Mikheil Saakashvili said his ruling party was winning in the race for the seats decided on a first-past-the-post basis.

Official results from Monday's vote are expected within hours.

In the election, 77 out of 150 parliamentary seats were contested in the proportional vote, while the other 73 seats were determined on the first-past-the post basis.

With 12% of the vote counted under the party list system, Georgian Dream secured 54%, while Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM) had 41%.

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