Georgia votes for a new president on Saturday, just two months after the end of a brief state of emergency in the former Soviet republic, according to dpa. Mikhail Saakashvili, who in November stepped down as president prior to the election in accordance with the country's constitution, said Friday that he was optimistic he would receive the necessary 50 per cent of the votes required to prevent a run-off, Interfax news agency reported. "But I will also accept any other result," the 40-year-old told election observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Saakashvili called the snap election for January 5 despite mass protests against his policies in November. He has been sharply criticized for the violent quashing of a peaceful protest that resulted in hundreds of injuries and the subsequent imposition of a state of emergency. The president said the heavy-handed action was required to prevent a Russian-led coup. Besides Saakashvili, six other candidates are contesting for the top office. The most promising candidate is lawmaker and businessman Levan Gachechiladze who has been put forward as a joint candidate by several opposition groups. Analysts have predicted that the election will go to a second round. Around 1,000 observers are to monitor the election. Saakashvili was elected in 2004, a year after the so-called "Rose Revolution" forced Soviet-era president Eduard Shevardnadze from office. The government and most opposition parties support a pro-Western direction for the former Soviet republic, including entry into NATO and the European Union.
