The country was thrown into crisis when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's Georgian Dream party said it was halting EU accession talks.

Thousands of people took to the streets after the government said it had suspended talks on joining the European Union.

Thousands of Georgians rallied for a second day running on Friday after police arrested dozens in a violent overnight crackdown on protests against the government's decision to delay EU membership

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili called the government illegitimate on Saturday and said she would not leave office when her term ends next month, as the prime minister said the state would not allow a revolution to take place.