Gunmen open fire at Georgia rally

The gunmen shot at an opposition flag before fleeing

Gunmen have opened fire during an anti-government rally in Georgia after days of mounting political tension.

Dozens of armed men in civilian clothes started shooting as protesters gathered in the western city of Zugdidi, reportedly injuring at least one woman.

Georgian television reports said the unidentified gunmen, some wearing masks, took over the stadium where the rally was being held and special forces had been called in.

Opposition groups say parliamentary elections held on Sunday have been rigged by President Eduard Shevardnadze's government.

Final results have not been declared, but pro-government parties hold the lead in official interim figures.

Opposition appeal

The leader of the opposition National Movement party Mikhail Saakashvili, who arrived at the rally after the incident, had earlier called on Georgian society to close ranks in peaceful protest against the government.

Reports say the shooting happened as the gunmen tried to disperse the crowd gathered at Zugdidi stadium.

Shevardnadze's 'failure to deliver'

Witnesses told French news agency AFP that the gunmen had fired at the ground near the protesters' feet, then into the air and at a National Movement flag before leaving.

Police are said to have been at the scene but did nothing to intervene.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the Georgian capital Tbilisi earlier in the week demanding that the president accept defeat and resign.

Two days of fresh protests were planned, with demonstrations in provincial towns like Zugdidi on Friday followed by a larger rally in Tbilisi, on Saturday.

Mr Shevardnadze has warned he will prosecute anyone who tries to use force to settle the dispute.

Interim vote leaders Revival: 21.5% For a New Georgia: 20.7% National Movement: 18.9% Democrats: 7.7%

There is still no official result from the ballot, which observers say suffered spectacular irregularities.

Latest results, with 80% of the vote counted, show that a regional party which supports Mr Shevardnadze has made a very strong showing, sharing the lead with his bloc.

The Central Election Commission said the Revival Party, run by Ajaria regional leader Aslan Abashidze, was ahead with 21.5% of the vote.

Mr Shevardnadze's For A New Georgia followed closely behind with 20.7% and the National Movement bloc with 18.9%

The results contrast with exit polls showing popular support for opposition blocs.

One of the leaders of the opposition Burjanadze-Democrats bloc, Nino Burjanadze, joined the National Movement's criticism of the elections.

She said her bloc, which the commission says has 7.7% of the vote, would boycott parliament, claiming the election was rigged.

"We do not intend to go into a parliament where the majority is not the one chosen by the people," she said

"The elections in Georgia were not valid. The authorities have excluded hundreds of thousands of people from voting."