(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-09 17:05

Preliminary results issued by the CEC showed that former president Mikhail Saakashvili has won some 52 percent of most accounted ballots, heading a narrow victory and avoiding a second round of run-off.

His closest competitor Gachechiladze, backed by a nine-party opposition coalition, won some 25 percent of votes and vowed to protest against the results on a Sunday rally.

Saakashvili called the early presidential election and resigned to play as an candidate last November, following riot police cracked down an opposition street protest.

Seven candidates and nearly half of the 3.3 million eligible voters took part in Saturday's election.

The CEC is expected to officially announce the final results within eight days after the election day, according to Georgian law.

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