Saakashvili clinches victory
2004-01-06 20:42
Tbilisi - Mikhail Saakashvili, who organised the mass protests that forced veteran leader Eduard Shevardnadze from power six weeks ago, clinched victory in Georgia's presidential election on Tuesday when the election commission said he had at least 62% of total votes cast.
Election commission chief Zurab Chiaberashvili said in televised comments that with 63% of the ballots counted, Saakashvili had received 1 096 349 votes of the 1 761 936 votes cast in Sunday's election.
But Saakashvili was not expected to declared the victor until all of the ballots are counted.
Saakashvili, a 36-year-old US-educated lawyer, needed 50 percent plus one vote to win.
- AFP