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Irakli Alasania, leader of the opposition "Alliance for Georgia" has warned that the call from president Muikheil Saakashvili's spindoctor Manana Manjgaladze, for legitimate election observers in Ukraine to return to Georgia, will undermine the work of people who have nothing to do with the government's decision to send hundreds of state employees as "battle ready" election watchers for the first round of presidential elections on 17 January.

Whilst Alasania said the government were right to rule out a repeat of that for Sunday's second round of polling in the former Soviet republic, they should not be issuing orders to legitimate observers working under international supervision.

"This decision by the President, on the one hand, suggests that he realized what a big mistake was made in respect of this country.  While, on the other hand, a call that no one is sending observers to Ukraine - is biased because, as we know, some non-governmental organizations sent observers to the first round and no problems with the local authorities arose. They should continue to work on the second round," Alasania is quoted as saying by Gruzia Online.

The opposition leader also called for an investigation into what had gone on with the people sent by the authorities as "observers" for the first round.