Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has claimed victory for his ruling party in parliamentary polls

May 21.- Early official results indicate his United National Movement has 61% of the vote to the opposition's 14%.

Opposition supporters gathered in the capital Tbilisi for a late night protest, saying the vote was rigged, but numbers fell short of expectations.

The vote is being seen as a test of Georgia's commitment to democracy.

The election took place amid fears of political unrest, and rising tensions between Georgia and Russia.

'Different picture'

"Even I was astonished by the big level of support which we got in these parliamentary elections," Mr Saakashvili said in comments quoted by Reuters.

"There are no final figures yet but there is a very high probability that the National Movement will get the number of seats in parliament that would be close to a constitutional majority."

Two-thirds of the parliament's 150 seats are needed for a constitutional majority under Georgian law ...

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