Preliminary results show Mikheil Saakashvili has been re-elected with 52.21% of the vote, Levan Tarkhnishvili, the chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), said on January 9.

“Results from 30 small precincts are still to come, but it won’t change the overall picture,” he said. “These results can only change if some precinct or election district results are invalidated either by the courts or the CEC.”

Assuming the result stands, a run-off is unnecessary and Saakashvili will be officially declared the winner on January 13, Tarkhnishvili added.