An upcoming rally in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi will call for President Mikheil Saakashvili's resignation, an opposition official said Friday.

Opposition leader Guguli Magradze said the April 9 rally in Tbilisi could draw nearly 56,000 people who all support the call for Saakashvili to resign his presidential post, Interfax said.

"These are residents of the Imereti region alone, and there are about 10 such regions. We are sure that the rally in Tbilisi will be massive," Magradze said of the estimated rally attendees.

The estimate was based on a tally of ballots collected from opposition supporters in Imereti during the last four days.

Another ballot collection was unveiled Friday in the city of Batumi, where members of the For a Just Georgia opposition party met to take part in a rally.

Interfax said Friday's rally involved a call for Saakashvili's resignation, but also included a demand for Levan Varshalomidze, leader of Georgia's Adjara autonomous republic, to step down.

URL: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/03/13/Georgian_protest_to_target_Saakashvili/UPI-48901236970604/