Calls for 'Judas of Georgian politics' to quit

TBILISI, Georgia: At least 60,000 Georgians rallied yesterday at the start of a campaign to try to force President Mikheil Saakashvili to resign, an effort led by opponents emboldened by last year's disastrous war with Russia.

Opposition leaders have promised to demonstrate daily outside parliament in Tbilisi until Saakashvili quits, accusing him of monopolizing power and stifling reforms promised in the 2003 Rose Revolution that swept him to power.

War in August, when Russia crushed a Georgian assault on the breakaway South Ossetia region and sent tanks to within 40 km of Tbilisi, emboldened critics who say the president has made too many mistakes to stay in power until 2013.