Up to 70 people are on hunger strike, some of them for six days, in protest at new legal amendments to election legislation which were adopted Wednesday prior to parliamentary elections due this May.
The amendments will increase the number of lawmakers elected from single-member constituencies to 75 from 50, while the rest will be elected on party lists. In addition, the parliamentary term will be extended, seats will be reduced by 85 from the current 235, and the election threshold will be lowered from 7% to 5%.
"Dialogue could be conducted with the enemy, but this enemy should be worthy and know the price of its word. But these are liars who lie 20 time every five minutes," a united opposition leader, Zviad Dzidziguri said.
The opposition intends to hold a mass rally on March 16 in downtown Tbilisi.
The opposition is demanding that a Memorandum of opposition forces, containing 17 demands, be implemented.
Pro-Western President Mikheil Saakashvili was reelected in early presidential polls in January.
In November, he was forced to step down after opposition protests turned violent and government forces brutally dispersed protesters demanding his resignation as president, a post he had occupied since early 2004, following the 2003 bloodless 'Rose' revolution that saw Eduard Shevardnadze removed from power.
