Opposition leaders held the mass rally in the capital Tbilisi to mark Georgia's independence day.

"Today the Georgian people have shown to the world and themselves that they're ready to struggle to the very end," Nino Burdzhanadze, the highest-profile opposition politician, told the crowd. "You have frightened those who want to frighten you."

The country's political standoff is now in its seventh week, with opponents continuing to demand that Saakashvili step down, accusing him of monopolising power. Saakashvili has also come under criticism for his handling of the country's pro-Russian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia and Georgia fought a brief war over the issue last summer.

The Georgian leader has rejected calls for his resignation and implied that Russia is financing the campaign against him. Georgian authorities cancelled a military parade normally held on independence day to avoid a confrontation with the protesters.

th/dpa/AP/AFP

Editor: Susan Houlton