The Georgian Dream party leads the municipal elections organized after the arrest of the former president and leader of the opposition on his return from exile.

The ruling Georgian Dream party took the lead in the closely watched municipal elections in Georgia in the aftermath of the arrest of former president and opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili on his return from exile.

According to Russian news agencies citing an exit poll ordered Saturday by the Imedi television channel, the ruling party won 47.6% of the vote. The result could avoid an instant parliamentary vote and a political stalemate between the ruling party and the opposition.

The main opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM) founded by Saakashvili, won 27.1 percent of the vote.

Polling stations closed at 4:00 p.m. GMT, with official results due to be announced late at night. Robin Forestier-Walker of Al Jazeera, in a report from the capital, Tbilisi, said that “the ruling party is already celebrating the victory”.

However, it was too early to announce the election results because the results of the exit polls are contradictory, Forestier-Walker said.

In comments to the AFP news agency through a representative who visited him in prison, Saakashvili said: “Georgia needs a peaceful transition to a true democracy where political opponents are not. not locked up on false accusations or forced into exile ”.

“I am not looking for any political post, I am just determined to fight to the end against the oligarchic regime which is killing Georgian democracy,” he said.

Saakashvili, 53, said on Friday he had returned from Ukraine, where he heads a Ukrainian government agency that is leading the reforms.

The flamboyant pro-Western reformer was arrested soon after on a conviction in absentia in 2018 for abuse of power. He denies committing wrongdoing and denounced his six-year prison sentence as politically motivated.

My letter from prison
My dear associates and my Georgian community.

When I left Kiev and came here, I knew I would most likely be arrested, with false verdicts fabricated on Putin’s orders. No country in the world, except Russia, recognizes this sentence … pic.twitter.com/ffA8VPvhz6

– Mikheil Saakashvili (@SaakashviliM) October 2, 2021

In a message posted to Twitter on Saturday accompanied by a photo of a letter to prison supporters, Saakashvili said: “I want to ask all of you to go to the elections so that no votes are lost.”

He added, “My freedom and, more importantly, Georgia’s freedom depends entirely on your actions and your fighting ability. “

Before his arrest, he posted a video message on Facebook calling on his supporters to take to the streets against the government.

Founded by powerful billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian Dream has been the ruling party since 2012.

Critics accused him of using criminal prosecution to punish political opponents and journalists.

Interpol refused Tbilisi’s requests to issue a Red Notice against Saakashvili.