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NEWS
GEORGIA TODAY
NOVEMBER 16 - 19, 2018
Ruling GD Distrusts Edison Research PreElection Survey Results BY THEA MORRISON
T
he Georgian Dream (GD) ruling party says they do not trust the results of the survey, conducted by the market research and exit polling company Edison Research, ahead the runoff of the October 28 Presidential Elections of Georgia. The survey was commissioned by the opposition-minded Rustavi 2 TV. It was conducted on November 1-9 and includes interviews with 2000 respondents over the age of 18. The results, published by Rustavi 2, read that the majority of the interviewed people would vote for the candidate of the United Opposition, Grigol Vahsadze – 38%, and 34% for the GD-backed candidate, Salome Zurabishvili. 18% of the respondents stated they have not yet
decided who to vote for. As a result of the full allocation, Rustavi2 reported the results were as follows: Grigol Vashadze - 56%; Salome Zurabishvili - 44%. The organization also asked the respondents who they voted for in the first round of elections. The answers were: Salome Zurabishvili - 34%; Grigol Vashadze - 33%; David Bakradze - 8%; other candidates - 5%; No-one - 3%; Refused to answer - 17%. Rustavi 2 released the results of an Edison Research poll on October 4, according to which Grigol Vashadze's rating was 22% and Salome Zurabishvili - 15%. However, after the first round, Zurabishvili got 38% and Vashadze 37% of votes. Zurabishvili does not trust the research of the international organization and states that she had no expectations from the survey. "I do not expect anything from these
surveys. You should ask those who commission such studies and if the difference is even 30%, it does not matter today," she said. Georgia’s Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze, who also leads Zurabishvili’s election headquarters, says that both surveys conducted by the Edison Research mismatch the reality. “We will see what society thinks after the elections, when the final results are announced. The people will make their choice and I want to call on everyone to be active,” he said. Meanwhile Kakha Kaladze, Tbilisi Mayor and Head of Zurabishvili’s election headquarters in the capital, says the surveys of Edison Research are a “big lie and an attempt to mislead the population.” “These polls are a common lie and a manipulation of public opinion. If we look at the past years, the surveys told us one thing but reality after the elections
was always different,” the Mayor stressed. United Opposition candidate Vashadze says the Edison Research poll results revealed that it always makes sense to fight to the end. “As time passes, society is coming to
understand the power of elections. In 2003, people changed the corrupt government and in 2012 they got rid of the authorities who were controlling the State. The same will happen during these elections too,” he said.
Kaladze’s Weekly Priorities:
Setting the Record Straight on Protests & New Year’s Decorations Continued from page 1
He also reminded the population of City Hall’s promise to completely replace city buses with new, cleaner buses by the end of 2019. Next, Kaladze addressed issues concerning the City Hall hotline and tasked
Vice-Mayor Irakli Khmaladze with solving the hotline problems. "There are some problems with the work of the hotline: citizens’ calls are coming and they cannot respond properly. On the one hand, more hotline staff should be added, and on the other hand, we should strengthen the resources of
city services.” Kaladze also noted that hotline operators receive information from city departments and there needs to be better information flow. “A citizen who comes to City Hall should not be standing in a queue or waiting months for a response. This is categorically unacceptable,” Kaladze urged.
Finally, the Mayor drew attention to the city’s preparations for New Year. "We had specific places, parks, squares that were decorated by various companies [last year]. We want this tradition to continue this year. The business community is already active: they want to have different places for the New
Year and we are ready for this,” said Kaladze. The Mayor appealed to all businesses at street level in the city, asking them to decorate their facades for New Year to spread holiday cheer throughout the city. New Year lights have already been installed in some parts of Tbilisi.