Polls & Research

Georgians Want Saakashvili to Stay in Power

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Georgia reject calls by some opposition politicians for president Mikhail Saakashvili to step down, according to a poll by the Institute of Polling and Marketing, Baltic Surveys, Gallup, and the International Republican Institute. Only 28 per cent of respondents agree with the notion that the president should resign.

Conversely, 51 per cent of respondents agree with Saakashvili’s calls for "unity and patience" to face serious challenges.

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. The country chose former justice minister Mikhail Saakashvili as the new head of state in January 2004.

In November 2007, 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, which he won with 53.47 per cent of all cast ballots.

According to international regulations, South Ossetia and Abkhazia belong to Georgia—a former Soviet republic. In the early 1990s, both pro-Russian regions became de facto independent but failed to be fully recognized as sovereign nations. Separatist factions operate in both regions.

In August 2008, a military conflict broke out between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where many Russian citizens live. On Aug. 8, Georgian forces entered South Ossetia to assert sovereignty over the region, and Russia responded with a full military operation that saw Russian soldiers take control of Georgian territory beyond South Ossetia. A ceasefire was later brokered by the European Union (EU). On Aug. 26, the Russian government officially recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Last month, opposition leaders organized a series of public protests asking Saakashvili to step down. They accused the president of mishandling the situation with Russia and governing in an increasingly autocratic way.

By the end of April, residents of the streets where the protests were being held were demanding the organizers to stop them due to constant disruptions to traffic and daily activities. On Apr. 24, opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze declared: "I want to tell local residents to show patience. It is much better to endure the problem of roadblocks than the problem of Saakashvili."

Polling Data

Which statement comes closer to your own point of view?

President Saakashvili: Georgia needs unity and patience to overcome serious challenges ahead	51%
Some opposition leaders: President Saakashvili should resign	28%
Both	7%
Neither	6%
Not sure	8%

Source: Institute of Polling and Marketing / Baltic Surveys/Gallup / International Republican Institute
Methodology: Interviews with 1,500 Georgian adults, conducted from Feb. 21 to Mar. 3, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.