GEORGIA: GEORGIAN PRESIDENT EDUARD SHEVARDNADZE CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS CLAIM VICTORY WITH EARLY RETURNS GIVING COMMANDING LEAD OVER HIS OPPENENTS

Record ID: 862481

  • Title: GEORGIA: GEORGIAN PRESIDENT EDUARD SHEVARDNADZE CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS CLAIM VICTORY WITH EARLY RETURNS GIVING COMMANDING LEAD OVER HIS OPPENENTS
  • Date: 10th April 2000
  • Summary: TBILISI, GEORGIA (APRIL 10, 2000) (REUTERS) EXT: OUTSIDE POLLING STATION MV: POLL WORKERS OVERTURN URNS ONTO TABLE, BALLOTS SPILL ACROSS TABLE / POLL WORKERS BEGIN COUNTING BALLOTS (2 SHOTS) MV: BALLOTS / OBSERVERS WATCHING COUNT / POLL WORKERS MARKING VOTE TALLY (2 SHOTS) VARIOUS: GROUPS OF DIPLOMATS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AT PARLIAMENT BUILDING DRINKING, WATCHING FIRST RETURNS (8 SHOTS) EXT/SV: ELECTION OMMISSION CENTRE/ (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOMINADZE JUMBER, HEAD OF THE CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION: "We have preliminary results: Shevardnadze has eighty one and a half per cent, Patiashvili fourteen percent and other candidates less than one percent [each]." (2 SHOTS) INT: ELECTION COMMISSION PRESS CENTRE MEN AT TERMINAL/ WALKING DOWN STAIRS (2 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 25th April 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: TBILISI, GEORGIA
  • City:
  • Country: Georgia
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAA45IHTFFNX0D11UDNQBANM2WL
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze's campaign headquarters have claimed victory with early returns giving him a commanding lead over his opponents.
    Shevardnadze's election headquarters claimed victory for its incumbent candidate as election workers continued opening the first ballot boxes in polling stations across the Caucasus state.
    Shevardnadze had been a heavy favourite and exit polls had placed him firmly in front.
    The head of the Georgian Election Commission said that Shevardnadze had a commanding lead with over 60 percent of the votes counted.
    Shevardnadze, known in the West for his role in ending the Cold War as Soviet foreign minister under Mikhail Gorbachev, had cast himself as the only candidate with experience and stature for the post.
    But Shevardnadze was greatly criticised in the campaign by his main challenger Dzhumber Patiashvili.The agronomist and former Soviet-era leader of Georgia blasted Shevardnadze for allowing 70 percent of the population to live at or below the subsistence level.
    Patiashvili also blasted the election commission, saying that they were aiding a total falsification of the results.
    Some of the approximately 150 foreign monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe reported irregularities.
    One monitor said sealed packages of ballot papers appeared to have been tampered with and that many more ballots were brought to one polling place than there were registered voters.
    Others cited numerous instances of police in polling stations.There were some reports of ballot stuffing, people casting multiple ballots and of election observers being denied access to polling stations.
    Some irregularities marked last year's parliamentary contest, won by Shevardnadze's political party.
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