Georgian opposition starts rally near parliament building. VIDEO
In Tbilisi, a protest action organised by opposition parties began in front of the parliament building.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Radio Liberty.
The opposition claimed that the results of the 26 October parliamentary elections were falsified, with the ruling Georgian Dream party of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili declared the winner.
According to Radio Liberty's Echo of the Caucasus project, the rally was organised by the opposition groups Coalition for Change, Unity - National Movement, and Strong Georgia. Opposition leaders plan to provide supporters with a plan for further action.
Some of the opposition marched through the central streets of Tbilisi to Rustaveli Avenue.
Earlier, the leader of the Coalition for Change, Nika Gvaramiya, asked opposition supporters to bring tents to the rally, hinting that the action could become indefinite.
The leader of the Georgian Dream parliamentary majority, Mamuka Mdinaradze, warned that the attempt to set up tents "could lead to clashes with the police".
The initiative to hold the rally was supported by President Salome Zurabishvili. She accused the Georgian Dream of "stealing the elections" and formulated the opposition's demands: an international investigation into voting irregularities and the organisation of new parliamentary elections under the control of an international administration.
The heads of the country's executive and legislative branches - Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili - have already rejected these demands. They said that the first session of the newly elected parliament would be held at the end of November, even if the head of state refuses to appoint a plenary session by decree, as provided for in the Constitution.
Parliamentary elections in Georgia
On Saturday, 26 October, parliamentary elections were held in Georgia.
After counting almost all the ballots, the Georgian Central Election Commission announced that the ruling Georgian Dream party had won more than 54% of the vote.
Opposition Georgian political forces said they would not recognise the results of the parliamentary elections, which were "stolen" by the Georgian Dream, and called for protests.
International observers said that the parliamentary elections in Georgia were held with significant violations.
The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, also declared her non-recognition of the election results, calling them totally rigged.
