Georgia prepares for crucial elections

Parliamentary elections are going to be held in Georgia tomorrow. Today it is prohibited for the results of surveys concerning ratings of political parties to be published. However, campaigning is not prohibited.

Georgian Patriarch Iliya II called on Georgians to take part in the polls. "Our road to these elections was very hard. These are very important elections," the spiritual leader said.

The ruling United National Revival party will compete with several opposition blocs and parties, including the Georgian Dream bloc headed by billinaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, whom the incumbent President Mikheil Saakashvili calls a 'Kremlin puppet'. Yesterday Georgian Dream held massive rallies in Tbilisi and Kutaisi, Georgia's two largest cities.

The coming elections are believed to be crucial from the point of view of the continuing democratic reforms, Georgia's integration into the EU and Nato and the country's relations with Russia.

According to the most recent surveys, the ruling party is supported by the majority of voters.