In Quotes: Political Reactions to NDI-Commissioned Survey
Politicians of the ruling Georgian Dream and opposition parties have assessed the latest public opinion survey results released by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) on January 27, which has, among others, shown that people are disillusioned with political parties in Georgia.
51% out of those surveyed say they do not agree that GD acts in their interest, while 53% of the respondents do not agree that the opposition parties elected to the Parliament or the Local Councils act in their best interest.
Below is a compilation of some of the reactions from members of the ruling and the opposition parties:
Ruling party reactions
Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili: “For us, the main survey is the elections, especially as the [local] polls were held just a couple of months ago. We understand people’s concerns and challenges faced by our state, but we are also aware of the legitimacy of the Georgian Dream government. The two elections in one year [parliamantary and local polls in 2020 and 2021 respectively] have confirmed that the Georgian Dream enjoys higher levels of public trust compared to other parties.”
MP Aluda Gudushauri, Georgian Dream: “We have seen multiple surveys, but then… the elections have shown drastically different results. One thing is clear, when you are in power all this time and by the decision of the absolute majority of the country you have high legitimacy and [their] confidence to run the country, it indicates that the Georgian Dream stands closest to the society.”
Opposition Reactions
MP Badri Japaridze, Lelo: “We unequivocally agree that democratic institutions are in a very difficult situation… Of course, our people want to see the opposition talk more about their day-to-day problems, and we will certainly become even more active in this regard. But we, our fellow citizens, must understand that as long as the Georgian Dream is in the majority, their problems will not be solved. Hence, the only solution is a change of government.”
MP Khatuna Samnidze, Republican Party: “It is tough to read that the majority of the population does not trust neither the parliament, nor the political parties, nor the majority, nor the opposition… Confidence in the Central Election Commission declined threefold, which is a disaster. Just like the fact that every second [person] in this country thinks that Georgia is no democracy. These data […] prove once again that under the leadership of the Georgian Dream government, this country is going backward in all directions.”
Giga Bokeria, European Georgia: “It is a harsh reality [for us] and, unfortunately, the disappointment of our society with political processes is completely adequate… Unfortunately, this was fostered by inconsistencies and in some cases by the unscrupulousness of an important chunk of opposition –but this does not apply to European Georgia– that was later used by [GD-founder Bidzina] Ivanishvili’s propaganda [machine].”
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