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Ministers from 13 European Union countries on Monday condemned the "violation of international norms" in Georgia's contested parliamentary elections, labelling them "incompatible with the standards expected from a candidate" to the EU.

They also said that they "criticise" Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's "premature visit to Georgia" in support of the government, AFP reported.

"International observers reported violations during the election campaign as well as on election day," foreign and European affairs ministers from countries including Germany, France, Poland and the Netherlands said in a joint statement.

"We condemn all violation of international norms for free and fair elections."

Tens of thousands of Georgians demonstrated on Monday as the pro-Western opposition accused the ruling party of "stealing" the vote.

The ministers said that they share the concerns of observers and "demand an impartial inquiry of complaints and remedy of the violations established".

They warned that "it is important that protests and in particular government reaction to them remain peaceful".

Ministers from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal and Sweden also signed the statement, which called any violations in the vote "a betrayal of the Georgian people's legitimate European aspiration".