an absence of consensus within the UNM leadership regarding the party list. Contending parties Three election blocs and nine parties are contesting this election. These are: United National Movement, current ruling party led by President Saakashvili; United Opposition: the National Council – New Rights, a bloc uniting a nine-party alliance (Freedom Movement, Conservative Party of Georgia, Party of Georgia, People's Party, Movement for United Georgia, National Forum, Georgia's Way, Georgian Troupe, On Our Own Party) with David Gamkrelidze's New Right which is led by the former presidential candidate and Saakashvili's principal rival Levan Gachechiladze; Republican Party of Georgia, led by Davit Usupashvili; Georgian Labour Party, led by Shalva Natelashvili; Christian-Democratic Movement, founded and led by the former Imedi TV journalist Giorgi Targamadze; Rightist Alliance – Topadze Industrialists, uniting Industry Will Save Georgia led by the beer magnate Gogi Topadze, the National Democratic Party and Unity led by the former Soviet Georgian leader Jumber Patiashvili; Union of Georgian Traditionalists – Our Georgia – Georgian Women Party for Justice and Equality alliance; Christian-Democratic Alliance, uniting the former presidential candidate Gia Maisashvili, the Green Party and Temur Shashiashvili, a former governor of Imereti region under ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze; The Georgian Politics, a party recently set up by Gocha Pipia, a member of the outgoing parliament; Our Country; National Party of Radical-Democrats of Georgia; Union of Georgian Sportsmen. The Central Election Commission refused 37 political parties to register for the election for various irregularities in their submissions. Opinion polls On May 5, 2008, the United States-based company Greenberg Quinlan Rosner published results of the United National Movement-commissioned survey according to which the UNM had the support of 44 percent, compared to 12 percent for the United Opposition Council, 11 percent for the Christian Democratic Movement, 7 percent for the Labour Party of Georgia, and 4 percent for the Republican Party; 16 percent were undecided. Conduct On election day 21 May, there was a shooting incident in the village Khurcha near Zugdidi in the west of the country. Three people were taken to hospital. Close-up footage of the shooting was captured by a TV crew from Rustavi 2. President Saakashvili claimed that the shooting had been an attempt to disrupt the election. An investigation was carried out by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee within hours, and concluded that the shooting had most likely been carried out by Georgian forces. On 22 May 2008, OSCE observers stated