Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

“Mass Demonstrations Achieved Positive Results” , Participants of Social Survey Conclude

February 29, 2008
 Nino Gvedashvili, Tbilisi

International Center on Conflict and Negotiation (ICCN) conducted a survey that revealed that the vast majority of the Tbilisi population supports the political opposition. According to the conclusion of the report, this tendency reinforces overall discontent and the negative attitude of Georgians towards the current government. The surveyors conclude that  people will be especially active during the parliamentary elections in spring of 2008 and their discontent will be demonstrated in the ballot box.

On February 28, the ICCN presented the society with the results of the social survey they have implemented. The research was carried out on 5-16 February and it assessed political events that transpired from November of 2007 to January of 2008. The survey covered several issues: 1) protest demonstrations of November 2-6 in 2007, 2) an assessment dealing with the violent dispersal of demonstrators on November 7 2007.  The completed research also highlighted the events and provided commentary on the snap Presidential Elections that resulted from political unrest in November. The study shares expectations that will be expected from parliamentary elections that are supposedly scheduled for the spring of 2008.
 
The researchers are certain that voters will be active during the parliamentary elections in spring, as 88 percent of respondents are determined to vote. 44 percent of Tbilisi residents believe the up-coming elections will be fair, or at least fairer than previously conducted presidential elections of January 5 2008. It is noteworthy that despite the lack of success by the opposition in its dealings with the government, almost one in three respondents are relatively certain that the United National Movement (the leading party) will gain the majority share of cast votes (over 50 percent) in the parliamentary elections, with 28 percent respondents concurring.
 
“The data should not be confusing to the population. The figures demonstrate 30 percent of residents believe that protests taught the government of Mikheil Saakashvili a good lesson, and it has taken notice of the level of discontent in the few months. Consequently the government will not be allowed to the same kind of mistakes as were made during the last election process. However, the fact is that the populace considers that voters will not provide a positive assessment in terms of giving this government a mandate. People do not support the government; though respondents believe the government will somehow manage to gain majority seats in the parliament based on having the necessary resources. The survey revealed that most of those living in Tbilisi support the opposition,” stated Gogi Khutsishvili, the director of the ICCN.
 
1000 respondents were interviewed in Tbilisi. 81, 5 percent of the respondents think that protest demonstrations were organized because of overall discontent of the populace towards the government. 68, 5 percent of those surveyed thinks that people came out into the street in November of 2007 and this was attributed to the poor social conditions that they faced in Georgia. 
 
Gogi Khutsishvili stated that “above-mentioned 68 percent does not mean that people joined the protests for only poor living conditions; they were also dissatisfied with the mistaken policy of the current government. They were standing in the street in order to stand up for their rights.”
 
It is noteworthy that people are more dissatisfied with the team of the Georgian President rather than the president on a personal level. 57 percent of respondents consider that Mikheil Saakashvili is responsible for deciding to disperse the peaceful demonstration on November 7 with force and this was only after he negotiated the issue with his closest supporters. As for snap Presidential Elections, 35 percent of respondents think that Saakashvili fixed the elections after external forces from other counties, including the United States ordered him to hold early elections in light of the circumstances. 
 
Overall Georgians gave a negative assessment of the snap Presidential Elections.
The government rigged the elections – if results were not rigged then there would have been a second elimination round of the elections and this would have also been fixed. It would have been a race between Michael Saakashvili and Levan Gachechiladze (presidential candidate from the United Opposition) – this attitude is supported by 45.2 percent of those surveyed.
 
The government rigged the elections, and if the vote count had been actual, then L. Gachechiladze would have won the first round of the vote - an idea is supported by 17.5 percent of those surveyed.
There were violations but they did not impact the final results of the election, an idea supported by nearly one in four respondents, 24.6 percent. Only 8.4 percent of those interviewed considers that the Presidential election was fairly held.
The survey discussed not only results but also the election process. 58 percent of respondents consider that during the pre-election campaign presidential candidates were not provided a level playing field.  Nearly 67 percent condemn the work implemented by the Central Election Commission. 58 percent expresses a high level of mistrust to foreign observers who were at the polls to monitor the Georgian elections.
 
The survey aimed to find out public opinion about the events on November 7. Three main questions were asked during the interview – one about the dispersal of the hunger-strikers in the morning of November 7; dispersal of demonstrators on Rike Embankment in Tbilisi in the afternoon and raiding of the TV Company “Imedi” in the evening of November 7. Over 80 percent of the interviewed people think that unjustified violence and the excessive use of power were used by the government. 36 percent think that Government committed a crime and the Constitution was violated. 30 percent thinks that the government used the opportunity to threaten people from participating in similar activities.
 
Two-thirds of Georgians (64 percent) presume that the terrible events of November 7 have seriously damaged the international image and standing of Georgia.

News