Tens of thousands of Georgian opposition supporters urge recount of presidential vote

[helderheid]

2008-01-13 17:46:02 -

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - Tens of thousands of people on Sunday challenged U.S.-allied Mikhail Saakashvili's victory in Georgia's presidential election, protesting what they called massive official fraud and urging a recount, followed by a runoff between Saakashvili and his top challenger.

The rally, which attracted more than 60,000 demonstrators, reflected broad disillusionment with Saakashvili. And it raised fears of continuing instability in the strategically placed ex-Soviet nation of 4.6 million where Russia and the United States have been vying for influence.

Wearing white scarves symbolic of the opposition and chanting anti-Saakashvili slogans, protesters braving subzero temperatures marched for several hours across downtown Tbilisi. Organizers said about 100,000 turned out.

The protesters demanded a runoff of the Jan. 5 election in which Saakashvili won his second term by winning, the government contends, more than 50 percent of the vote.

The rally was a dramatic turnaround from mass protests in 2003 that were called the Rose Revolution. Those demonstrations catapulted Saakashvili into presidency. Many opposition leaders were previously Saakashvili's allies.
«Misha the Rose, you will fall soon!» protesters shouted, calling the president by his nickname in a chant that referred to the Rose Revolution.

Final results released Sunday showed Saakashvili with 53.47 percent of the vote, while opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze had 25.67 percent.

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