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Georgian president set to win new term

But opponents call for protests, saying the vote was rigged.

TBILISI, Georgia - President Mikhail Saakashvili headed for victory in Saturday's election, according to an exit poll in this former Soviet republic where he is fighting accusations of authoritarian tendencies four years after coming to power as a champion of democracy.

Saakashvili's supporters waved flags in the capital after the exit poll showed him winning 53.8 percent of the vote. But the poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points - casting doubt on whether he would hang onto the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

The opposition called for protests today, claiming the vote was rigged and the exit poll falsified. Saakashvili's leading challenger, Levan Gachechiladze, received 28.3 percent of the vote, according to the exit poll.

The U.S.-educated Saakashvili led mass street protests that ousted a communist-era veteran from power following fraudulent elections in late 2003. He won a January 2004 election with more than 96 percent of the vote, but nowis accused by his opponents of sidelining his critics.

The head of an international election monitoring mission said about two hours before the polls were to close that the election appeared fair.

"From what we're seeing now ... there does not appear to be anything to suggest there is an election being stolen," said Rep. Alcee Hastings, a Florida Democrat heading a mission sent by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

[Last modified January 6, 2008, 00:47:15]