Outside the parliament building in Georgia's capital Tbilisi, thousands of people have gathered again on Sunday evening. They are waving European and Georgian flags.
Demonstrations during the night to Sunday saw riot police deploy tear gas and water cannons, while protesters, according to Georgian media, responded by firing fireworks at the police. 44 people, including 27 protesters, 16 police officers, and one journalist, required hospital care after the protests, according to the country's interior ministry.
Will Not Resign
The country's president Salomé Zourabichvili has sided with the protesters. She has announced that she will not step down when her term expires soon and is urging the government to re-establish contact with the EU.
The EU's new foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is warning the Georgian government after the violent clashes.
Using violence against peaceful protesters is not acceptable, and the Georgian government should respect the Georgian people, she says.
Georgia went to the polls on October 26, but the result has not been recognized by the opposition in the country or by the EU Parliament. According to the official election result, the ruling party Georgian Dream won 89 of the 150 seats in parliament.
"Dark Abyss"
The country's prime minister Irakli Kobachidze says that Georgian Dream "certainly will not" agree to a new election.
The formation of the new government, based on the parliamentary election on October 26, has been completed, he says.
Russia, accused of fanning the anti-Western forces in Georgia, is reacting with anger to the protests. Dmitrij Medvedev, former president and now high-ranking in the security council, calls them a coup attempt.
"Georgia is moving along the same path as Ukraine, towards a dark abyss. Such things usually end very badly", he writes on the messaging service Telegram.
