Georgians Vote in Municipal Elections

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he meets parliament factions leaders in Moscow, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2006. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Georgia Wednesday that no country should get away with threatening Russia, setting the stage for passage of a toughly worded parliamentary motion fiercely condemning Tbilisi's pro-Western leadership. (AP Photo/ ITAR-TASS, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service ) (Dmitry Astakhov - AP)

TBILISI, Georgia -- Georgians voted Thursday in municipal elections seen as a crucial test for President Mikhail Saakashvili during a diplomatic crisis with Russia.

Allies and opponents of the president are competing for more than 1,700 seats on municipal and regional councils, which in turn elect mayors and regional administration heads.

With the opposition Labor and Conservative parties hoping to gain seats, the outcome will likely be seen as a measure of Saakashvili's support among Georgia's 3.2 million voters.

Retaliating for Georgia's recent arrest of Russian military officers on espionage charges, Moscow has imposed a transport and postal blockade threatening the economy of its impoverished neighbor.

But a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official ruled out the use of force in the crisis. Asked by a journalist about the likelihood of a military solution to the dispute, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Yakovenko replied: "Of course there can't be any talk about it."

Georgia already is struggling with a sharp increase in living costs that has contributed to a decline in Saakashvili's popularity.

Meat prices have doubled and prices for grains and sugar have risen by about 20 percent. Electricity and gas costs also have increased.

Saakashvili, who was elected after the 2003 Rose Revolution and has worked to shake off Russian influence over the former Soviet Republic, vowed the country will overcome the crisis with Moscow.

"We have a lot of support in the world," Saakashvili said after voting with his 9-month-old son in his arms. "Those who speak badly of us prove they don't know what to do, but they cannot stop Georgia's progress toward independence and a bright future."

Russia's chilly relations with Georgia have worsened steadily since Saakashvili came to power, vowing to take Georgia out of Moscow's orbit, rein in the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and join NATO in 2008. Georgia accuses Russia of backing the separatists, an allegation Moscow denies.

Yakovenko said Thursday that Moscow would ease the pressure only if Tbilisi completely changed its attitude.

"Russia does not want to be provoked, Russia wants to be respected. Russia wants the anti-Russian campaign to stop," he said.