Georgia's Saakashvili battles billionaire rival at polls (Monday)

[FarCenter]

AFP - Georgians vote Monday in parliamentary polls as President Mikheil Saakashvili's party faces a billionaire-led opposition in a test of the ex-Soviet state's democracy overshadowed by a torture scandal.

Outrage over revelations of the beating and rape of prison inmates, which sparked nationwide protests and international condemnation, has damaged Saakashvili's campaign and boosted the opposition coalition led by billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili.

The bitter showdown between the powerful opponents, described by OSCE election monitors as "confrontational and rough", has raised fears of post-poll unrest amid a tense and highly polarised political atmosphere.

http://www.france24.com/en/20121001-georgias-saakashvili-battles-billionaire-rival-polls

[Scootaloo]

1. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy n/t