TT: Georgians go to the polls to elect their country's president in a crucial snap election on Saturday - je 04.01.2008

Welcome back. Georgians go to the polls to elect their country's president in a crucial snap election on Saturday. The incumbent, Mikhail Saakashvili, wants to renew his mandate after a political crisis which peaked in November with violence and the declaration of a state of emergency. Although calm has returned to the country - it's political establishment has suffered a serious blow to its democratic credentials. Saakashvilli - the hero of the "Rose Revolution" - is now seen by many at home and abroad as an authoritarian and divisive figure. +++SYN-MAZ+++