Alex from the Messenger [Tbilisi's English language daily] has been liveblogging throughout election day in Georgia. FYI, I am talking about Parliamentary elections, contested by 9 parties and 3 electoral blocks.

The big issue at stake here is actually having the elections generally regarded as free and fair by the international community. That would be a big plus in terms of strengthening Georgia’s democratic credentials and helping it to secure the NATO Membership Action Plan in December.

The small issue here is whether Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM) is able to hold on to a Parliamentary majority. The opposition is made up of largely Pro-Western parties, who are quite vocal against Saakashvili’s strong style of leadership [authoritarian might be another way to put it].

Anyway, the quick facts here [too tired to give you any fine print now]:
_ turnout: 55%
_ exit poll: UNM at 63%
_ opposition cry foul.

I will keep you updated with any major developments. In case I forget or I don’t have time, just check the Messenger’s blog.