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International observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) recorded "significant shortcomings” during May 30 municipal elections in Georgia, according to OSCE official website.

President Saakashvili-led “National United Movement” party won yesterday’s Georgian municipal elections. According to the preliminary results published by Georgia's Central Election Committee, Tbilisi Mayor, Saakashvili-backed Gigi Ugolava, gained nearly 54% of votes.

The leader of “Alliance for Georgia” party Irakli Alasania runs second with 19,1%.

“Yesterday's municipal elections in Georgia marked evident progress towards meeting international standards, but significant shortcomings remain to be addressed,” international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities concluded in a statement released today. The statement also says the election administration organized these elections in a transparent, inclusive and professional manner, but systemic irregularities were observed on Election Day in some regions, including several cases of ballot box stuffing and procedural violations during the vote count. The observers also noted deficiencies in the legal framework and its implementation, and characterized the campaign environment as an uneven playing field favouring contestants from the incumbent party.