Saakashvili, Clinton discuss post-electoral situation in Georgia

TBILISI, October 4 (Itar-Tass) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia had a telephone conversation Thursday night, in the course of which they discussed the situation that has taken shape in this country after the Monday parliamentary election, the pro-Saakashvili Rustavi-2 TV channel said.

It quoted sources in the Presidential Administration as saying the initiative on the telephone conversation had come from Clinton.

Preliminary information from Georgia’s Central Electoral Commission indicates the election has brought a clear victory to the six-party Georgian Dream Coalition led by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili.

The Georgian Dream has stood in an opposition to Saakashvili.

In the meantime, the press service of the Presidential Administration said one of the topics of the conversation was the pressure allegedly exerted on members of electoral commissions at some polling stations, as well as on members of the CEC.

CEC representatives said “facts of pressure on members of local electoral commissions” were reported from some districts of the country Thursday morning.

The CEC urged all the participants in the electoral process and their activists to stay within the bounds of law and to give an opportunity to complete the counting of votes in an unstrained atmosphere.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is a candidate for the Prime Minister’s post, appealed to supporters of the coalition to stop street actions.

He recalled that “it’s the opposition that usually takes to the streets while the Georgian Dream is not an opposition force any longer, as it has received the majority of seats in parliament.”

Ivanishvili urged his rank-and-file supporters “to stay away from restoring justice with the aid of street actions.”

“These processes /the ones pertaining to the restoration of justice – Itar-Tass/ should now move over to courtrooms and to the parliament that will gather for the first session very soon,” he said. “We’ll be able to clear out all the misunderstandings there.”