The Protesters on Sunday Night (Dec 1) Gathered in Tbilisi Again and Launched Fireworks at the Police Which they Retaliated with Volleys of Water Cannons

Protesters and police clashed in Georgia's capital on Monday (Dec 2) as resistance to the government's decision to suspend the European Union (EU) membership talks continues to intensify.

This was the fourth straight day of the protests.

This comes as tensions are escalating in Georgia after the announcement on Thursday (Nov 28) that the government would stall the EU talks for four years.

After this, the pro-EU demonstrators took to the streets and engaged in a skirmish with the police.

The protesters on Sunday night (Dec 1) gathered in Tbilisi again and launched fireworks at the police which they retaliated with volleys of water cannons.

This also comes after the governing Georgian Dream party claimed victory in the parliamentary elections held on October 26, which, according to the pro-European opposition, were fraudulent.

Georgia's opposition is boycotting the new parliament, citing concerns over the legitimacy of the recent elections, meanwhile, pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili has asked the constitutional court to nullify the election results, declaring the newly formed government and the new legislature "illegitimate".

As per Eka Beselia, the lawyer representing Zurabishvili in the court, the president wants the court to cancel the results "over widespread violations of voting universality and ballot secrecy".

Her office said in a statement that on Tuesday, she "filed a lawsuit at the Constitutional Court of Georgia, requesting the annulment of the election results as unconstitutional."

According to the interior ministry, over 150 protesters have been arrested; however, the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association claims the number to be 200.

"We will never accept the rigged election (result)," said one of the demonstrators, 20-year-old university student Natela Gabiskiria.

"We support Zurabishvili's demand that the constitutional court annul Georgian Dream's fake (electoral) victory," she told news agency AFP.

The leader of the opposition Akhali party, Nika Gvaramia, stated that his party members "have been detained and injured. Party activists have been beaten and arrested."

Amnesty International urged the Georgian authorities "to fully comply with their obligations to respect and protect the right to freedom of assembly." 

"People have a right to peacefully protest without fear of violence, intimidation, or unlawful arrests" the group released a statement saying.

"All peaceful protesters who remain in detention must be immediately released," the statement said.