News 10/2: Mikheil Saakashvili Concedes Defeat to Bidzina Ivanishvili

Yesterday elections in Georgia (the country not the state) pitted the ruling party (United National Movement or UNM) and their leader Saakashvili, against the opposition Georgian Dream Party and their head figure, billionaire Ivanishvili. The Georgia Dream Party gained a majority of the popular votes counted so far, and before all the votes had been counted, the ruling party conceded defeat. Saakashvili will still remain president until October 2013 if he does not resign due to the country's current legislature. If the transfer of power would be peaceful, it would be one of the first peaceful transfers of power in the country's history since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Saakashvili's reign has included a five-day war with Russia in 2008, as well as more recent examples of prisoner abuse and torture.

Sources:
Irish Times:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/1002/breaking27.html

Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Georgia-president-concedes-defeat-in-polls/articleshow/16640333.cms?

Al Jazeera:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/10/2012102235751901671.html

Moscow Times:
This article is from yesterday, and starts with, "Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s ruling party claimed victory over the opposition Georgian Dream coalition in a parliamentary election Monday, despite exit polls pointing to a close race" This information was taken from the exit polls, which showed that the popular vote would go to the Georgian Dream Party, but Parliament would go to the ruling party and Saakashvili. Further news shows this statement to end up being incorrect.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/georgia-votes-in-election-overshadowed-by-prison-scandal/469105.html

Location of Georgia