Ruling party head slams IRI’s “history of incorrect polls” after survey release
Kobakhidze pledged the ruling power would present data of previous polls conducted in the country during elections to demonstrate the “difference” between their figures and final results of the elections. Photo: Georgian Dream press office
Tweet 
Share
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday slammed the Georgian representation of the United States-based International Republican Institute for its “history of publishing incorrect election polls” over the past 12 years, after the release of the IRI’s new survey that put GD approval in Georgia at 25 percent ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.
In his press comments Kobakhidze claimed both IRI Georgia and the Institute of Polling and Marketing - a Tbilisi-based company that conducted fieldwork for the survey - were “expected to provide wrong figures” for the forthcoming race.
The organisations do not even trust themselves after so many mistakes”, Kobakhidze said, and pledged the ruling power would present data of previous polls conducted in the country during elections to demonstrate the “difference” between their figures and final results of the elections.
The party official’s comments also criticised the Georgian branch of the National Democratic Institute - another US-based organisation - and the Caucasus Research Resource Centres, its partner for survey fieldwork.
A public opinion poll published on Tuesday by the Tbilisi-based Georgian Opinion Research Business International has put the approval rating of the ruling Georgian Dream party at 55 percent.
A public opinion poll published on Thursday by the Tbilisi-based Georgian Opinion Research Business International showed 66 percent of respondents agreed with the Georgian Government's decision not to join economic sanctions imposed against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
A majority of Georgian citizens agree with the Government’s decision not to join economic sanctions against Russia following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine last month, a poll by the Georgian Opinion Research Business International (GORBI) shows.
A majority of Georgian citizens agree with the policy of the ruling Georgian Dream party Government on not involving the country in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, a new survey has shown.
Judicial and electoral bills initiated in the Georgian Parliament were discussed on Thursday in a meeting between Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, and a visiting delegation of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
Georgian Public Defender Levan Ioseliani on Thursday said he backed enabling voters to participate in elections with non-electronic identification cards, in response to claims by domestic opposition groups that said the prospect could allow the Government to “rig” votes.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the Parliament, on Friday said it was “very regrettable” that only the United National Movement - the largest opposition faction in the Parliament - was expected to overcome the five percent election threshold in next year’s parliamentary elections.