May 09, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The party that supports Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili is the most popular political organization in the country, according to a poll by ACT Research Ltd. and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. 44 per cent of likely voters would support the United National Movement (UNM) in this month’s legislative election.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The party that supports Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili is the most popular political organization in the country, according to a poll by ACT Research Ltd. and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. 44 per cent of likely voters would support the United National Movement (UNM) in this month’s legislative election.

The United Opposition Council (UOC) is second with 12 per cent, followed by the Christian Democratic Movement (CDM) with 11 per cent, the Labour Party of Georgia (LPG) with seven per cent, and the Republican Party (RP) with four per cent.

In 2001, Mikhail Saakashvili founded the UNM, a self-described reformist party advocating for good relations with the West and the restoration of Georgia’s control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

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 Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze after opposition politicians requested his dismissal over electoral fraud. Saakashvili, a former justice minister, was elected president in January 2004 with 96.94 per cent of the vote.

In November 2007, a new crisis broke out as 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, prompting criticism from the Western international community. He later scheduled an early presidential ballot for January 2008, but refused to resign. Saakashvili won a new term in the first round of the presidential election, with 53.47 per cent of all cast ballots. He was sworn in for a new term on Jan. 20.

On May 6, Saakashvili said holding "free" parliamentary elections is a "mater of national security", adding, "We will protect it [the election] with our teeth to ensure that Georgia has a future. This is my appeal, request and a warning at the same time."

The legislative election is scheduled for May 21.

Polling Data

Parliamentary Election in Georgia - Likely Voters

United National Movement (UNM)	44%
United Opposition Council (UOC)	12%
Christian Democratic Movement (CDM)	11%
Labour Party of Georgia (LPG)	7%
Republican Party (RP)	4%
Undecided	16%

Source: ACT Research Ltd. / Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,200 Georgian voters, conducted from Apr. 14 to Apr. 20, 2008. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.