Opposition Tipped to Win Narrow Majority in Georgia Election: Exit Poll

Georgia's pro-Western opposition claimed electoral victory after an exit poll showed it was narrowly ahead in Saturday's ballot.

The "Georgian people and Europe have won", Tina Bokuchava, the leader of the United National Movement, which is part of the opposition union, told journalists as pro-opposition President Salome Zurabishvili saluted a victory for "European Georgia."

An earlier report said Georgia's opposition is tipped to win a narrow majority in Saturday's elections, an exit poll showed after a vote seen by political analysts as a choice between a European future or closer ties with Russia.

Four pro-Western opposition groups which have agreed to form a coalition received 51.9% of the vote, according to an exit poll commissioned by a pro-opposition TV station from US pollster Edison Research.

The ruling Georgian Dream party, accused by critics of stifling democracy and drifting increasingly towards Moscow, is predicted to win 40.9% of the vote, according to the survey published after polls closed.

The voting was marred by what pro-opposition President Salome Zurabishvili called "deeply troubling incidents of violence" at some polling stations and allegations of ballot stuffing and voter intimidation.

Brussels has warned that the election will determine European Union candidate's chances of joining the bloc, while the Kremlin has condemned "Western interference" in the election campaign.

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"Of course, I have voted for Europe. Because I want to live in Europe, not in Russia. So, I voted for change," said Alexandre Guldani, an 18-year-old student casting his ballot in Tbilisi.

Analyst Gela Vasadze at Georgia's Strategic Analysis Centre warned ahead of the vote that "if the ruling party attempts to stay in power regardless of the election outcome, then there is the risk of post-electoral turmoil."

There were various reports of incidents.

A video was circulated on social media showing a fistfight between dozens of unidentified men outside a polling station in suburban Tbilisi.

Another showed scuffles outside a campaign office of the United National Movement (UNM), Georgia's main opposition force, founded in 2001 by now-jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili.

The opposition also shared videos of an alleged ballot stuffing incident in the south-eastern village of Sadakhlo.

Georgian Dream said before the vote it was confident it could win a commanding majority of the 150-seat parliament, calling for a "maximum mobilisation" of its supporters.