NEWS

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

Agenda.ge, 16 Nov 2023 - 14:27, Tbilisi,Georgia

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.

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