Georgian poll landslide confirmed

Mikhail Saakashvili now has the power to shape Georgia's future

The ruling party of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has won a massive majority in parliamentary elections, the Central Election Commission says.

The party took 59.5% of the vote while main opposition bloc won 17.7%.

Mr Saakashvili said he was astonished at the support he had received, but pledged to work with the opposition.

The opposition, however, says the vote was rigged and that it will boycott parliament. International monitors gave the election a mixed report.

"There were numerous allegations of intimidation, some of which could be verified," the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said in a report on the poll.

"These elections were not perfect," said delegation head, Joao Soares. He added, however, that "concrete and substantial progress" had been made since presidential elections in January.

Huge mandate

Mr Saakashvili, seeking to avoid a repeat of the street battles that preceded those elections, said he would work with his opponents.

"We will not undertake any changes without consultations with the whole political spectrum and without the participation of the opposition," he said on Thursday.

The election result will give Mr Saakashvili's United National Movement about 120 of parliament's 150 seats - a constitutional majority.

The main United Opposition bloc will be in second place, and the Christian Democrats and the Labour Party also won enough votes to take seats in parliament.

The size of Mr Saakashvili's victory will give him great power to shape Georgia's future, says the BBC's Matthew Collin in Tbilisi.

He will now feel he can press ahead with his radical reformist agenda, with guaranteed support from a parliament dominated by his party.

The president is also hoping to take Georgia closer to the West, and to join Nato.

Protest call

The opposition ran a largely negative campaign, our correspondent says, accusing the government of being corrupt and authoritarian.

The United Opposition says it will not accept the results, and will boycott the new parliament.

It has called for a mass protest on Georgian Independence Day next week.

After clashes between riot police and demonstrators last year, fears have been raised of renewed civil unrest.