A presidential election was held in the
Republic of Georgia on January 4, 2004. The election followed the resignation of former President
Eduard Shevardnadze. As expected, the main opposition leader,
Mikhail Saakashvili, was soon shown by exit polls to be heading for an overwhelming victory. According to preliminary results issued on January 6 by Georgia's Central Election Commission, Saakashvili won over 97% of the votes cast.