Grigol Vashadze

Ruling party candidate leads in Georgia presidential vote

Results from Georgia's presidential runoff showed the ruling party-backed candidate, who favours balancing the ex-Soviet republic's relations with Moscow and the West, defeating her rival who advocates a stronger pro-Western line.

Georgia holds second round of hotly contested presidential vote

More than 3.5 million people are eligible to vote in the election, and both candidates - Georgian Dream-backed Salome Zurabishvili and opposition Grigol Vashadze - have promised to lead Georgia closer to membership in the European Union and NATO.

Run-off likely in Georgia presidential election

The hotly contested race pits ex-French ambassador and Georgia's former foreign minister Salome Zurabishvili, supported by the ruling Georgian Dream party, against opposition leader Grigol Vashadze, also a former foreign minister.