(13 Apr 2009) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of opposition rally in front of the Parliament
2. Mid of opposition leader Kakha Kukava addressing the crowd
3. Wide opposition rally with a church in the background
4. Mid of flags
5. SOUNDBITE (Georgian) Kakha Kukava, Georgian Opposition Leader:
"We have decided to start moving the protest action towards the residence of the so-called president and start protest action there. This will continue for twenty four hours."
6. Mid of people applauding
7. Close of placard mocking Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili
8. Various of rally
STORYLINE
Thousands of demonstrators in Georgia's capital Tbilisi were demanding the president's resignation on Monday, in the fifth day of peaceful protests.
The number of protesters has declined since the demonstrations began, but they are still capable of blocking main roads, and some are calling for more forceful action.
Opposition leaders say the daily protests will continue until President Mikhail Saakashvili steps down.
Opposition leader Kakha Kukava told the protesters on Monday that the protest should start moving "towards the residence of the so-called president" and that the picketing would "continue for twenty-four hours."
Saakashvili still has a strong base of support and has vowed to serve out his second term, which ends in 2013.
His critics are most angry over his handling of last summer's brief war with Russia.
Georgia lost territory as separatists and their Russian allies took full control over two breakaway Georgian regions.
Protesters also accuse Saakashvili of betraying his promises of democratic reform and embarrassing his country with his erratic behaviour.
But Saakashvili, who was re-elected in 2008, has vowed to serve out his five-year term.
Georgians once widely admired Saakashvili, 41, as an energetic, pro-Western reformist, but many were disillusioned by what they describe as his authoritarian bent.
Criticism of his government was all but silenced during the war, as Georgians came together in the face of the Russian invasion, but opposition has slowly galvanised in recent months.
The war badly strained relations between Russia and the West, particularly the United States, which has been a strong supporter of Georgia.
Like the president, the opposition wants closer ties with the West, but considers the antagonism between Saakashvili and Russia's leaders to hurt Georgia's interests.
Saakashvili's critics also see the war as making it even more unlikely for Georgia to be offered NATO membership anytime soon.
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