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Georgian election : Shevardnadze favorite |
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April 10, 2000
TBILISI, Georgia, APR 8 (AP) - President Eduard Shevardnadze was the clear favorite as he sought a second term in elections Sunday, but still faced the prospect of being forced into a runoff against a former Communist leader.
Voting began around dawn in the nation of 5 million people without any immediate reports of problems.
Shevardnadze's approval rating is around 50 percent, but many voters are unhappy with his failure to improve living standards since he was elected in 1995. Ex-Communist Party leader Dzhumber Patiashvili, with a popularity rating of about 15 percent, was expected to come second, ahead of three other candidates.
Even so, Shevardnadze, 72, is seen by many in the former Soviet republic as the only real choice, and was expected to win easily if forced into a run-off. Shevardnadze had to win more than 50 percent of the vote Sunday for outright victory.
Shevardnadze, 72, gained world renown as Soviet foreign minister under Mikhail Gorbachev. He is widely respected for bringing stability to Georgia after years of civil war that followed the 1991 Soviet collapse, and has brought international attention to Georgia by trying to foster closer ties with the West.
"I'll vote for Shevardnadze even though I've lost trust in him recently," said Zviad Varshanidze, a 26-year-old student. "I'm satisfied with his foreign policy."
The field for the election was whittled down just a day before the vote when two contenders dropped out. Aslan Abashidze, governor of the autonomous republic of Adzharia and a former Shevardnadze ally, withdrew but didn't say why. He had been seen as running as an ally of Patiashvili to take votes away from Shevardnadze, and had ratings of about 8 percent going into the race.
The other candidate to drop out, Tengiz Asanidze, wasn't given much of a chance. The former mayor of the Adzharia capital Batumi, he was running from prison, where he is serving and eight-year sentence for economic crimes. Though Shevardnadze pardoned him last year, Abashidze has refused to release him.
But election officials said Asanidze had withdrawn his candidacy too late and would be included on the ballot.
Also Saturday, Shevardnadze held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who wished him success in the election, the Interfax news agency said.
The call appeared to be part of the two countries' efforts to patch up relations that have been strained over Russian accusations that Georgia is harboring Chechen rebels and Georgia's close ties to the West.
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