January 03, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Opposition candidate Levan Gachechiladze is the most popular presidential contender for voters in Georgia’s capital, according to a poll by Rezonansi published in Mtela Kvira. 22.4 per cent of respondents in Tbilisi would vote for Gachechiladze in this Saturday’s election.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Opposition candidate Levan Gachechiladze is the most popular presidential contender for voters in Georgia’s capital, according to a poll by Rezonansi published in Mtela Kvira. 22.4 per cent of respondents in Tbilisi would vote for Gachechiladze in this Saturday’s election.

Incumbent head of state Mikhail Saakashvili is second with 17.6 per cent, followed by New Right faction leader David Gamkrelidze with 2.6 per cent, Labour Party leader Shalva Natelashvili with 1.2 per cent, and Future of Georgia leader Giya Maisashvili with 0.2 per cent. Almost one-in-three of respondents remain undecided.

Georgia was the site of political instability in the last weeks of 2003, after the Georgian Supreme Court partially annulled the results of a parliamentary election. The ensuing crisis led to the resignation of president Eduard Shevardnadze after opposition politicians requested his dismissal over electoral fraud. The country chose former justice minister Saakashvili as the new head of state in January 2004.

On Nov. 7, thousands of people staged a protest in front of Georgia’s Parliament building to demand Saakashvili’s resignation and an early presidential election. After a harsh confrontation between riot police and demonstrators, Saakashvili declared a temporary national state of emergency. He later scheduled an early presidential ballot for January 2008, but refused to resign.

Yesterday, Natelashvili called on the president to take part in a televised debate, saying, "People should decide who is right and who is wrong between me and Saakashvili after a 13-year-old rivalry between us."

The presidential election will take place on Jan. 5. Voters will also take part in a referendum on whether the country should hold an early legislative election.

Polling Data

Which candidate would you vote for in the presidential election?

Levan Gachechiladze	22.4%
Mikhail Saakashvili	17.6%
David Gamkrelidze	2.6%
Shalva Natelashvili	1.2%
Giya Maisashvili	0.2%
Irina Sarishvili	--
Badri Patarkatsishvili	--
Against all candidates	0.8%
Undecided	29.2%
Refused	23.0%
Would not vote	2.4%

Source: Rezonansi / Mtela Kvira
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 801 Georgian adults in Tbilisi, conducted on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30, 2007. No margin of error was provided.