20,000 Protest Georgia's President

TBILISI, GEORGIA — More than 20,000 opposition supporters rallied in Georgia's capital Friday, trying to increase pressure on President Mikhail Saakashvili before parliamentary elections expected in May.

Opposition groups demand a recount of the Jan. 5 presidential election, in which Saakashvili won a second term with 53 percent of the votes, according to the official results, and seek fair access to state television.

In January, they gave Saakashvili a deadline to meet their demands, which also included changes in the current election system so it becomes more transparent. The deadline expired Friday.

The opposition claims that Saakashvili was pushed over the 50 percent threshold for an outright victory by fraud, and wants him to face a runoff against Levan Gachechiladze, who officially won about 25 percent of the votes in the election.