The newly elected Georgian parliament has opened its inaugural session as opposition lawmakers and the country’s ceremonial president stayed away and thousands of protesters rallied outside.

Georgia’s newly-elected parliament opened its inaugural session on Monday as opposition politicians and the president boycotted it and thousands of

Georgia’s ruling party convened parliament for its first session since last month’s election even as opposition lawmakers enforced a boycott and protesters continued street demonstrations over the results.

Georgia's new parliament is to meet for its first session Monday amid opposition protests over an allegedly rigged election and the pro-European president demanding the result be annulled.

Lawmakers from Georgia's ruling party opened the first session of parliament on Monday after last month's disputed election, defying protesters outside and a boycott by opposition parties who say the vote was illegitimate.

VOA Russian's correspondent reports from Georgia, where the first session of the new parliament is meeting after the election won by the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party was boycotted by the opposition and met with street protests outside the parliament building.

By Ailis Halligan in Tbilisi Several thousand demonstrators, mobilised by Georgia’s political opposition, gathered in Tbilisi on November 25 to protest the 11th Convocation of the Georgian parliament,