Georgian Ruling Party Faces Opposition Unity in Runoff Elections

(Bloomberg) -- Georgia goes back to the polls today after initial results showed the ruling party led in municipal elections as former president Mikheil Saakashvili continues a hunger strike since his arrest on the eve of the first round.   

The Oct. 2 results showed the ruling Georgian Dream party received about 47% of the overall vote nationwide, with the United National Movement next with about 31%. Tbilisi, the capital, is holding a runoff between the incumbent mayor Kakha Kaladze and Nika Melia of the United National Movement. Opposition candidates have united behind Melia. 

The State Security Service of Georgia said on Oct. 29 that it is probing a coup conspiracy supposedly involving members of the United National Movement. They were allegedly planning “destructive actions,” including blocking the path to Gldani prison hospital. The opposition denied the accusation. 

The government has accused Saakashvili of crossing the border illegally. He fled Georgia in 2013 after the incoming Georgian Dream government of his rival, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, accused him of abuse of power shortly after his term as president ended. International observers will deliver their verdict on the elections on Sunday.

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