Saakashvili to Dispatch Premier to Adjara on Elections Day

President Mikheil Saakashvili told a press conference on March 26 that he is sending Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania to defiant Adjarian Autonomy this Sunday, when parliamentary elections are due to be held in Georgia.

Earlier Adjarian Leader Aslan Abashidze pledged to secure free and fair elections in the troubled region. Polls in Adjara, notorious for widespread ballot-rigging, will be closely watched by the international as well as the local election observers.

“I am sending Mr. Zurab Zhvania to Adjara to monitor the situation there on the elections day,” Mikheil Saakashvili said.

He also warned the local authorities in Adjara, as well as in the rest of Georgia, to avoid interference in the election process.

“We must hold really free and fair elections in Georgia,” the President added.