Georgia's ruling party, Georgian Dream, won 19 of 20 mayoral elections including in the capital Tbilisi, electoral authorities said on Sunday, as the opposition alleged that ballots had been rigged.
Central Election Commission chief Georgi Kalandarishvili said Saturday's voting had been competitive, free and transparent, while independent election monitor Transparency International said it had identified up to 150 violations, ranging from minor to relatively serious.
Denouncing the vote, the head of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party, Nika Melia, called on supporters to gather in Tbilisi on Sunday to agree a response.
"No one should have the illusion that they can get away with rigged, violent and insulting elections," Melia, who ran for office in the capital, was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.
Around 2,000 to 3,000 protesters rallied in the centre of Tbilisi later on Sunday and Melia announced plans to stage a larger protest on Nov. 7, Russian new agencies reported.
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