tbilisi

Early official CEC results
1 National Movement Party 58.79 %
2 Nine-Party Opposition Bloc 18.17 %
3 Christian-Democratic Party 8.44 %
4 Labor Party 7.45 %
5 Republican Party 3.88 %

/ Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2008-05-12 13:30:40
The Lithuanian, Latvian, Polish, Slovenian and Swedish foreign ministers arrived in Tbilisi for a one-day visit on May 12 amid Russo-Georgian tensions and ahead of the May 21 parliamentary elections.

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said on May 11 the visit would “demonstrate support for Georgia’s European integration aspirations, its territorial integrity and encourage maintaining calm in a difficult situation.”

Russia has increased the number of its peacekeepers in Abkhazia to 2,542 peacekeepers, which is 458 short of the 3,000 limit set by agreement, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement on May 8.

It said before the recent deployment, there had been 1,997 Russian servicemen in the conflict zone.

Until now the Russians had been refusing to release details of last week's troop increases.

Russia has increased the number of its peacekeepers in Abkhazia to 2,542 peacekeepers, which is 458 short of the 3,000 limit set by agreement, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement on May 8.

It said before the recent deployment, there had been 1,997 Russian servicemen in the conflict zone.

Until now the Russians had been refusing to release details of last week's troop increases.

The bitter political standoff in Georgia is showing no signs of abating despite increased pressure on the government to bow to opposition demands as a hunger strike enters its 12th day.

A group of more than 60 opposition activists are continuing to reject food in order to press their call for changes to the country's electoral system ahead of a key parliamentary poll in May.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry said on March 24 that Russia “has deprived itself of any political, legal or moral right to claim the role of a neutral and unbiased mediator in the conflict resolution process,” after a Russian parliamentary resolution on March 21.