Tbilisi: application on oppositional rally expires at midnight

The protest rally of the "People's Assembly", which demands President Mikhail Saakashvili's resignation, continues at the Parliament in Tbilisi, despite the information that at midnight, after the rally application expires, it may be dispersed by the police.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondents have reported from the place that a rally of the Georgian opposition rally has started near the Public Television in Tbilisi this morning. Then, a column of protesters marched along Rustaveli Avenue to Freedom Square; however, soon the "People's Assembly" changed the initial plan and decided to hold a protest action in front of the Parliament of Georgia.

Now the "People's Assembly" continues its rally in Rustaveli Avenue near the Parliament and is not going to break up. The authorities keep silent about their intention to disperse the rally, but firmly confirm the tomorrow's parade in Rustaveli Avenue. This gave grounds to the leader of the "Free Georgia" Party to assume that power bodies get ready to disperse the rally.

Meanwhile, there are no policemen seen near the Parliament. A group of five policemen can be seen near the metro station "Freedom Square", some half kilometre away. They treat the demonstrators passing by politely, with no signs of aggression, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from the place.

The Parliament does not work; journalists and the staff have abandoned it.

Nino Burjanadze, the leader of the "People's Assembly" has mounted, together with her supporters, the unfinished governmental rostrum in front of the Parliament of Georgia in Tbilisi, from where on May 26 President Mikhail Saakashvili plans to watch the parade on the Independence Day of Georgia, the "Gazeta.ru" reports.

Ms Burjanadze promises to disrupt the parade on the Independence Day of Georgia.

Today Kakha Kukava, the leader of the "Free Georgia", disseminated a statement calling on the oppositional parties, the diplomatic corps and Patriarch Elias II not to allow the Georgian authorities to disperse the rally near the Parliament.

"We have received a warning from the Tbilisi Mayoralty about the expiry of the rally application," said the actor Dima Djaiani, one of the opposition leaders, at the rally in front of the Parliament, the news agency "News-Georgia" reports.

According to Mr Djaiani, the information on the upcoming dispersion of the opposition rally by power agents arrived from the wife of one of the protesters, who works at the police, the "GHN" reports.

Let us note that the "People's Assembly" had filed an application to the Tbilisi Mayoralty for holding its rallies only till May 25. Should the rally continue further without a prior consent of the Mayoralty, it will be a violation of the law.