Image copyright EPA Image caption Salome Zurabishvili is the daughter of refugees who fled to France from Georgia in 1921

Salome Zurabishvili has won Georgia's presidential election, becoming the first woman to hold the office.

With nearly all votes counted, the French-born ex-diplomat had 59% of the vote with rival Grigol Vashadze on 40%.

Ms Zurabishvili was backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, while Mr Vashadze was a united opposition candidate.

A new constitution is due to come into force, making the role of president largely ceremonial.

Ms Zurabishvili, 66, was born in Paris after her parents fled Georgia in 1921 following its annexation by Soviet forces.

She took up a career in the French foreign service and was posted to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, as ambassador in 2003. She later gave up her post and the then-president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, appointed her foreign minister.

The BBC's Rayhan Demytrie in Tbilisi says the strength of the vote for Ms Zurabishvili raises questions. In just a few weeks she managed to get 20% more votes than in the first round.

Yet, our correspondent reports, she failed to connect with voters, and many Georgians could not forgive her for saying it was Georgia that started the war with Russia in 2008. Georgian-Russian relations remain clouded by mutual suspicion.

Ms Zurabishvili told BBC Russian that "considering Russia's current behaviour towards Ukraine, I don't think it means we can move right now to co-operation [with Russia]".

The vote is good news for the most powerful man in Georgia, billionaire Georgian Dream party chief Bidzina Ivanishvili.

It is the last direct election of a Georgian president, as the country is switching to a parliamentary system, following constitutional reforms adopted last year.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Some saw Mr Vashadze as more pro-Western

However the election is also seen as an indicator of how parliamentary elections in 2020 could go.

Georgia is seeking European Union and Nato membership. But both ambitions are obstructed by Russia's troop presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia - breakaway regions of Georgia.

The opposition complained of voting irregularities and attacks on its campaigners, but this has been denied by the ruling party.

International observers said the first round of voting last month was held on an "uneven playing field".</s>Georgia has elected ruling party candidate Salome Zurabishvili as its first woman president, final results showed on Thursday, but the opposition claimed fraud.

With all votes counted, the French-born ex-diplomat had taken 59.52 percent of the vote in on Wednesday’s second round run-off, the election commission said.

Her rival Grigol Vashadze, from an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM), won 40.48 percent.

The election was seen as a test of Georgia’s democratic credentials as the Caucasus nation seeks European Union and NATO membership.

It was also a trial run for more important parliamentary elections in 2020 when the ruling Georgian Dream party is set to face off against a range of opposition parties.

Georgian Dream — the creation of billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili who many see as the country’s de facto ruler — backed Zurabishvili in the presidential vote.

Ivanishvili’s great rival, the flamboyant ex-president Saakashvili, claimed “mass electoral fraud” even before official results were released.

“The oligarch has stamped out Georgian democracy and the institutions of elections,” he said on the pro-opposition Rustavi-2 television channel, referring to Ivanishvili.

“I urge Georgians to defend our freedom, democracy, and the law. I call on you to start mass peaceful rallies and demand snap parliamentary polls.”

Saakashvili swept to power in 2004 in a mass protest movement known as the Rose Revolution but, after a disastrous 2008 war with Russia, fled the country in 2013 and has since been stripped of his citizenship.

He was sentenced in absentia to six years in prison for abuse of office, charges he rejects as politically motivated. He now lives in the Netherlands.

Tensions increased ahead of the second round as the opposition accused the government of voter intimidation and claimed that ruling party activists had attacked Vashadze campaign staff.

Zurabishvili, in turn, said she and her children had received death threats through text and voice messages from people affiliated with the UNM.

Rights groups have accused government officials of vote-buying on a “widespread” and “unprecedented” scale and of election fraud, including through the alleged printing of fake ID cards.

Opposition supporters will be watching for reports from foreign election monitors, including from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, to see if their claims of voter fraud are supported.

OSCE observers were to hold a press conference in Tbilisi later Thursday.

Street protests against the results could shake the small ex-Soviet republic, which has seen civil wars, mass demonstrations, and unrest since gaining its independence in 1991 on the break-up of the Soviet Union.

A smooth presidential transition, however, would be welcomed by many as a sign of stability in Georgia, which is emerging as a tourism hotspot and hopes for more foreign investment.

Zurabishvili, a 66-year-old independent lawmaker, is the daughter of refugees who fled Georgia in 1921 for Paris after the country’s annexation by the Red Army.

Her career in France’s foreign service culminated in a posting to Tbilisi, where then-president Saakashvili appointed her foreign minister.

But Zurabishvili quickly made enemies among the parliamentary majority, with MPs and some senior diplomats accusing her of arrogance and impulsiveness.

When she was sacked after a year in the job, thousands took to the streets of the capital to protest her dismissal.

Vashadze, a 60-year-old career diplomat, had criticized Ivanishvili’s “informal oligarch rule” amid growing discontent over the government’s failure to tackle poverty.

The vote was Georgia’s last direct leadership poll as it transitions to a parliamentary form of governance.

The first round on October 28 saw Zurabishvili take 39 percent of the vote, against 38 percent for Vashadze.

More than 3.5 million people were eligible to vote in the election and turnout was 56.23 percent.</s>Tbilisi: Georgia´s newly elected President Salome Zurabishvili on Thursday hailed her victory as a step forward for women and a move closer to Europe for the ex-Soviet republic.



With all votes counted, the country´s election commission said the French-born ex-diplomat, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, had taken 59.52 percent of the second-round vote.

Her rival Grigol Vashadze, from an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili´s United National Movement (UNM), took 40.48 percent.

The opposition denounced the election as a fraud. But while raising some serious concerns, foreign observers said the vote was "competitive" and well-run.

"It is now important to show that this country has chosen Europe," Zurabishvili said told journalists after her win. "For that purpose, Georgians have elected a European woman president."

"It feels great," she said, pointing out that she was one of a small number of women presidents in the world.

The election was seen as a test of Georgia´s democratic credentials as it seeks European Union and NATO membership.

It was also a trial run for more important parliamentary elections in 2020, when Georgian Dream is set to face off against a range of opposition parties.

The party is the creation of billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, who many see as the small country´s de facto ruler.

"(The) election was competitive and candidates were able to campaign freely, however one side enjoyed an undue advantage," monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a report after the vote.

The elections were "well administered", they said, but raised concerns about misuse of administrative resources that "blurred the line between party and state".

Ivanishvili´s great rival, the flamboyant ex-president Saakashvili, claimed "mass electoral fraud" even before official results were released.

"The oligarch has stamped out Georgian democracy and the institutions of elections," he said on the pro-opposition Rustavi-2 television channel, referring to Ivanishvili.

"I urge Georgians to defend our freedom, democracy and the law. I call on you to start mass peaceful rallies and demand snap parliamentary polls."

But Vashadze´s opposition alliance distanced itself from Saakashvili´s remarks, saying it would hold an evening gathering of supporters to discuss further steps.

Tensions increased ahead of the second round, as the opposition accused the government of voter intimidation and claimed that ruling party activists had attacked Vashadze campaign staff.

Zurabishvili in turn said she and her children had received death threats through text and voice messages from people affiliated with the UNM.

Rights groups have accused government officials of vote-buying on a "widespread" and "unprecedented" scale and of election fraud, including through the alleged printing of fake ID cards.

Zurabishvili, a 66-year-old independent lawmaker, is the daughter of refugees who fled Georgia in 1921 for Paris after the country´s annexation by the Red Army.

Her career in France´s foreign service culminated in a posting to Tbilisi, where then-president Saakashvili appointed her foreign minister.

But Zurabishvili quickly made enemies among the parliamentary majority, with MPs and some senior diplomats accusing her of arrogance and impulsiveness.

When she was sacked after a year in the job, thousands took to the streets of the capital to protest her dismissal.

On Thursday morning she received blessings from the influential head of Georgia´s Orthodox Church, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, and was later seen by passersby sipping coffee with her children on a sunny terrace in central Tbilisi.

The French foreign ministry said in a statement that Paris was looking forward to working with Zurabishvili "to further strengthen" relations.

Vashadze, a 60-year-old career diplomat, had criticised Ivanishvili´s "informal oligarch rule" amid growing discontent over the government´s failure to tackle poverty.

The vote was Georgia´s last direct leadership poll as it transitions to a parliamentary form of governance. The first round of the presidential election on October 28 saw Zurabishvili take 39 percent of the vote, against 38 percent for Vashadze.

Street protests against the results could spark concern for the country, which has seen civil wars, mass demonstrations and unrest since gaining its independence in 1991 on the break-up of the Soviet Union.

A smooth presidential transition, however, would be welcomed by many as a sign of stability in Georgia, which is emerging as a tourism hotspot and hopes for more foreign investment.</s>TBILISI: Georgia´s newly elected President Salome Zurabishvili on Thursday hailed her victory as a step forward for women and a move closer to Europe for the ex-Soviet republic.

With all votes counted, the country´s election commission said the French-born ex-diplomat, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, had taken 59.52 percent of the second-round vote.

Her rival Grigol Vashadze, from an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili´s United National Movement (UNM), took 40.48 percent. The opposition denounced the election as a fraud. But while raising some serious concerns, foreign observers said the vote was "competitive" and well-run.

"It is now important to show that this country has chosen Europe," Zurabishvili told journalists after her win. "For that purpose, Georgians have elected a European woman president." "It feels great," she said, pointing out that she was one of a small number of women presidents in the world.

The election was seen as a test of Georgia´s democratic credentials as it seeks

European Union and Nato membership. It was also a trial run for more important parliamentary elections in 2020, when Georgian Dream is set to face off against a range of opposition parties.

The party is the creation of billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, who many see as the small country´s de facto ruler. "(The) election was competitive and candidates were able to campaign freely, however one side enjoyed an undue advantage," monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a report after the vote.

The elections were "well administered", they said, but raised concerns about misuse of administrative resources that "blurred the line between party and state". Ivanishvili´s great rival, the flamboyant ex-president Saakashvili, claimed "mass electoral fraud" even before official results were released. "The oligarch has stamped out Georgian democracy and the institutions of elections," he said on the pro-opposition Rustavi-2 television channel, referring to Ivanishvili.

"I urge Georgians to defend our freedom, democracy and the law. I call on you to start mass peaceful rallies and demand snap parliamentary polls." But Vashadze´s opposition alliance distanced itself from Saakashvili´s remarks, saying it would hold an evening gathering of supporters to discuss further steps.

Tensions increased ahead of the second round, as the opposition accused the government of voter intimidation and claimed that ruling party activists had attacked Vashadze campaign staff. Zurabishvili in turn said she and her children had received death threats through text and voice messages from people affiliated with the UNM.

Rights groups have accused government officials of vote-buying on a "widespread" and "unprecedented" scale and of election fraud, including through the alleged printing of fake ID cards.

Zurabishvili, a 66-year-old independent lawmaker, is the daughter of refugees who fled Georgia in 1921 for Paris after the country´s annexation by the Red Army. Her career in France´s foreign service culminated in a posting to Tbilisi, where then-president Saakashvili appointed her foreign minister.

But Zurabishvili quickly made enemies among the parliamentary majority, with MPs and some senior diplomats accusing her of arrogance and impulsiveness. When she was sacked after a year in the job, thousands took to the streets of the capital to protest her dismissal.</s>Georgia´s newly elected President Salome Zurabishvili on Thursday hailed her victory as a step forward for women and a move closer to Europe for the ex-Soviet republic.

 With all votes counted, the country´s election commission said the French-born ex-diplomat, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, had taken 59.52 percent of the second-round vote.

 Her rival Grigol Vashadze, from an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili´s United National Movement (UNM), took 40.48 percent.

 The opposition denounced the election as a fraud. But while raising some serious concerns, foreign observers said the vote was “competitive” and well-run.

 “It is now important to show that this country has chosen Europe,” Zurabishvili said told journalists after her win. “For that purpose, Georgians have elected a European woman president.”“It feels great,” she said, pointing out that she was one of a small number of women presidents in the world.

 The election was seen as a test of Georgia´s democratic credentials as it seeks European Union and NATO membership.

 It was also a trial run for more important parliamentary elections in 2020, when Georgian Dream is set to face off against a range of opposition parties. The party is the creation of billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, who many see as the small country´s de facto ruler.

 “(The) election was competitive and candidates were able to campaign freely, however one side enjoyed an undue advantage,” monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a report after the vote.

 The elections were “well administered”, they said, but raised concerns about misuse of administrative resources that “blurred the line between party and state”. Ivanishvili´s great rival, the flamboyant ex-president Saakashvili, claimed “mass electoral fraud” even before official results were released.

 “The oligarch has stamped out Georgian democracy and the institutions of elections,” he said on the pro-opposition Rustavi-2 television channel, referring to Ivanishvili.

 “I urge Georgians to defend our freedom, democracy and the law. I call on you to start mass peaceful rallies and demand snap parliamentary polls.”

 But Vashadze´s opposition alliance distanced itself from Saakashvili´s remarks, saying it would hold an evening gathering of supporters to discuss further steps.

 Tensions increased ahead of the second round, as the opposition accused the government of voter intimidation and claimed that ruling party activists had attacked Vashadze campaign staff.

 Zurabishvili in turn said she and her children had received death threats through text and voice messages from people affiliated with the UNM.—AFP</s>Former foreign minister Salome Zurabishvili has won Georgia's presidential election, becoming the first woman to hold the role.

The 66-year-old took 59.6 per cent of Wednesday's vote after 99 per cent of ballots had been counted, the country's election commission said early Thursday, while her rival, Grigol Vashadze, also a former foreign minister, took 40.4 per cent.

"The country made a fundamental decision today," Zurabishvili said, according to the television station Rustavi 2. "We all, definitively and firmly, said no to the past."

Zurabishvili ran as an independent but is backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which wants to develop ties with both Russia and the European Union.

She said she would now seek dialogue with those who had not supported her in the presidential race. The new president is set to take office in mid-December.

Vashadze, who was a close runner-up in the first round of voting last month, and his opposition coalition, Strength Is In Unity, support integration with the EU and the Western military alliance NATO.

Zurabishvili's supporters say she would bring international stature to the presidency. But her opponents have criticised her for statements that appeared to blame Georgia for the 2008 war and remarks about minorities that some see as xenophobic.

Zurabishvili was born in France and served as French ambassador to Georgia until becoming Georgia's foreign minister in 2004.

"Diplomatic work in France for me was also a work for Georgia," Zurabishvili said. "Everyone knew that I am Georgian who fights for its country. I knew very well the price of independence and freedom, because I am the child of the country whose ancestors have sacrificed themselves for the independence and freedom."

Turnout was around 66 per cent of Georgia's 3.5 million voters. Outgoing President Giorgi Margvelashvili declined to run.

The vote marked the last time Georgians directly elected the president, as the country is set to convert to a parliamentary republic.

The next presidential election is to be conducted by an electoral college including parliament members.</s>TBILISI: Georgia’s newly elected President Salome Zurabishvili on Thursday hailed her victory as a step forward for women and a move closer to Europe for the ex-Soviet republic.

 With all votes counted, the country’s election commission said the French-born ex-diplomat, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, had taken 59.52 per cent of the second-round vote.

 Her rival Grigol Vashadze, from an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM), took 40.48 per cent.

 The opposition denounced the election as a fraud. But while raising some serious concerns, foreign observers said the vote was “competitive” and well-run.

 “It is now important to show that this country has chosen Europe,” Zurabishvili said told journalists after her win. “For that purpose, Georgians have elected a European woman president.”

 “It feels great,” she said, pointing out that she was one of a small number of women presidents in the world.

 The election was seen as a test of Georgia’s democratic credentials as it seeks European Union and Nato membership.

 It was also a trial run for more important parliamentary elections in 2020, when Georgian Dream is set to face off against a range of opposition parties.

 The opposition candidate rejected the results and called for protests.

 “We do not recognise the election results, we demand to hold snap parliamentary polls,” Vashadze said in televised remarks after Zurabishvili was declared the winner.

 He called for “a mass peaceful demonstration” in the capital Tbilisi on Sunday against the result.

 Opposition parties have denounced widespread instances of vote-buying, use of administrative resources in favour of Zurabishvili, voter intimidation, and ballot-stuffing in the election’s second round.

 Georgia’s leading rights groups also accused government officials of vote-buying on a “widespread” and “unprecedented” scale and of election fraud, including through the alleged printing of fake ID cards.

 Outgoing President Giorgi Margvelashvili, an independent, congratulated Zurabishvili on her election but expressed “concern over the sharp worsening of the second round’s compliance with democratic norms”.

 International observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a report after the vote that the “election was competitive and candidates were able to campaign freely, however one side enjoyed an undue advantage,” due to the misuse of administrative resources.

 The election was seen as a test of Georgia’s democratic credentials as it seeks European Union and Nato membership. — AFP</s>TBILISI: Georgia has elected ruling party candidate Salome Zurabishvili as its first woman president, final results showed Thursday, but the opposition claimed fraud.

With all votes counted, the French-born ex-diplomat had taken 59.52 percent of the vote in Wednesday’s second round run-off, the election commission said.Her rival Grigol Vashadze, from an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM), won 40.48 percent.

The election was seen as a test of Georgia’s democratic credentials as the Caucasus nation seeks European Union and NATO membership.It was also a trial run for more important parliamentary elections in 2020, when the ruling Georgian Dream party is set to face off against a range of opposition parties.

Georgian Dream — the creation of billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili who many see as the country’s de facto ruler — backed Zurabishvili in the presidential vote.Ivanishvili’s great rival, the flamboyant ex-president Saakashvili, claimed “mass electoral fraud” even before official results were released.“The oligarch has stamped out Georgian democracy and the institutions of elections,” he said on the pro-opposition Rustavi-2 television channel, referring to Ivanishvili.</s>Reflecting upon the recent developments in Georgia electing the first woman-president. the chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with South Caucasus (DSCA) Sajjad KARIM (UK, ECR) shared his vision of the dynamics between the EU and the countries of the region: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, underlining their remarkable progress in rapprochement with Europe.

MEP Karim perceives the President-elect Salomé Zurabishvili as someone who “really understands the depth of the European values”, who “lived and breathed Europe” her entire life has the ability to influence the direction of the country, the people, and the entire region – the South Caucasus.

“Georgia is Europe” – Karim continued, underlining the choice of a French-born woman President is a clear sign of European aspirations of the Georgians.

The election of the Salome Zurabishvili as a President of Georgia in the second round of elections marked her remarkable victory, establishing the ruling party candidate and former Georgian foreign minister as the first female head of state.

Zurabishvili won the run-off with 59.6 percent of the ballot, according to the Central Election Commission, while her competitor Grigol Vashadze took 40.4 percent.

The first woman to be elected to the role was backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, founded by billionaire banker Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country’s richest man. Zurabishvili is expected to try and balance pro-Western aspirations while avoiding antagonizing Moscow.

This regional Delegation serves the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee (PPC), the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) and the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee (PAC). These three countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – are part of the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood policy. The parliamentary extension of our relations was established in bilateral agreements, concluded with Azerbaijan in 1999, Georgia in 2014 and Armenia in 2017.</s>In an exclusive interview, the country's President-elect and first woman head of state, Salome Zurabishvili, told Euronews that aggression from Vladimir Putin on that border has never stopped.

"We have an occupying line, within Georgian territory, that is moving every day," she asserted.

Zurabishvili also told us that her priority was to bring Georgia closer to Europe.

"I've been elected by a society that wants more Europe," she said.

Zurabishvili had 59% of the vote and her rival candidate Grigol Vashadze took 40%, with nearly all ballots counted.

However, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe says the process was undermined

The OSCE said on Thursday that one in the presidential election had enjoyed "an undue advantage".

"The second round of Georgia’s presidential election was competitive and candidates were able to campaign freely, however one side enjoyed an undue advantage and the negative character of the campaign on both sides undermined the process."

WATCH the interview above for more.
Voters in Georgia elect Salome Zurabishvili as president. She will be the first woman elected to hold the position when she assumes office on 16 December 2018.