Georgia votes, opposition poised to cry foul

By Margarita Antidze

TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia's ruling party is likely to win a majority in a parliamentary election on Wednesday that the West says will be a test of President Mikheil Saakashvili's democratic credentials as he pushes for NATO membership.

The small ex-Soviet state, with a booming $10 billion economy, lies at the heart of the Caucasus where the United States and Russia vie for influence over a key transit route for oil and gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe.

Georgia has riled Russia by the push to join NATO and a row has erupted with Moscow over the rebel regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia which have broken away from Tbilisi and see Russia as their main protector.

At the same time, though, Georgia's image as a rare beacon of democracy in the former Soviet Union was tarred in November when the pro-Western Saakashvili sent in riot troops to crush protests.

Opponents said he rigged a January presidential poll, a charge he denies.

The U.S.-educated lawyer says the parliamentary vote must be "beautiful" but the opposition say the authorities are planning to rig the poll and have threatened mass demonstrations if this happens.

"The election campaign has shown that authorities plan to falsify this election again," said Levan Gachechiladze, leader of the opposition coalition.

"We won't allow them to do that. All Georgians will come out onto the streets if they rig the election," he said. Voting starts at 0800 (0400 GMT) and polls close at 2000 local time.