Police and Saakashvili supporters clash in Georgia

Georgian police used water cannons to disperse protesters in Tbilisi on Sunday as opposition supporters rallied against the results of the recent parliamentary election.

Thousands of demonstrators demanded a snap vote after the opposition including ex-president Mikhail Saakashvili's United National Movement accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of rigging the tightly contested election on October 31.

Footage from the capital showed riot police and water cannons being deployed to clear the crowd.

Preliminary election results from Georgia's Central Election Commission website have given Georgian Dream 48.2% of the vote.

The party, created by a tycoon who made his fortune in Russia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, has held a strong majority in Parliament for eight years, but its popularity has dwindled steadily amid the country's economic problems.