US-based NDI, IRI polls on Georgian political scene “unreliable” - ruling party Sec Gen
Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday criticised the polls by NDI and IRI. Photo: Tbilisi City Hall press office
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Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said surveys conducted by the United States-based National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute on the Georgian political scene were “unreliable”, in comments on latest polls by the organisations putting support for the Government at 17-19 percent.
Released in late April, an IRI survey said only 19 percent of the country’s population supported the Georgian Dream Government, while an NDI survey released on Wednesday put the figure at 17.
In his response, the official claimed surveys by the two organisations had shown about 30-40 percent error margin compared with official election results “over the years”, and accused them of “manipulating” public opinion.
He claimed the country’s population was “well-aware” of the Government’s work and its “efforts to pursue national interests”, despite facing alleged threats of sanctions against it on the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and of denial of the European Union membership candidate status to the country.
Kaladze added the unspecified forces wished to see “unrest” in the country, before describing a part of domestic opposition as “agents” he said were engaged in “anti-state” actions.
"I want everyone to know one thing - as long as Georgian Dream is in power, we will always pursue the interests of this country and its people first”, Kaladze said.
Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said “any individual, including any public servant” was able to attend “any protest” through their own decisions, after domestic opposition groups and non-governmental organisations alleged the Government had bussed in demonstrators to a rally in Tbilisi on Sunday organised by a domestic civil movement backing the authorities' “peaceful policy” on the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
A new survey released by the International Republican Institute on Tuesday showed a majority of respondents in Georgia naming the European Union and the United States as the country’s “most important political partners” while highlighting Russia as a “major threat”.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday highlighted the links between Ukrainians and Georgians in understanding the “cost of peace”, in his end-of-year message on the work of his office.
Kakha Kaladze, the mayor of Tbilisi and the secretary general of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said it was “important to maintain peace and tranquillity” in the country and promote economic development, and stressed Georgia would “not open a second front” amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday highlighted the importance of “objective, fact-based” public opinion surveys at the Gallup International Association annual conference, hosted in Tbilisi for the first time.