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Georgia's parliament today passed into law the regulations needed to run local elections next year while the leader of a major opposition party repeated her intention to ignore the polls and smaller parties met to discuss how a "primary" system to select a single opposition candidate could work.

After arguments over allegations that voter rolls were being packed with supporters of the ruling party who lived outside the capital, and following discussions with the opposition Alliance for Georgia, the parliament approved a freeze on new voter registrations in Tbilisi after 15 January.

No date has been fixed for the elections, though the law requires them to be before 1 June. President Saakashvili has previously stated the polls will be at the end of May but has brought forward polling dates in the past if it has been thought to be to the advantage of the ruling party.

Meanwhile Nino Burjanadze, former speaker of the Georgian parliament and leader of the Democratic Movement United Georgia repeated her intention to ignore the polls. She said: "All political parties, involved in the election process and intending to take part in the filthy game of the government, must take responsibility on everything that awaits this country. I call upon the political parties to refuse participation in this in the governmental farce."

At the same time a group of smaller parties have been meeting to discuss the prospects for a "primary" election to agree a single opposition candidate for the mayor of Tbilisi. They repeated their call for the Alliance for Georgia to take part.

Previously the Alliance have expressed scepticism about the financing of the primary and its openess to manipulatrion by the regime and its allies.