IRI Public Opinion Poll in Georgia: UNM closes popularity gap with Georgian Dream

| News, Georgia

The International Republican Institute (IRI) published their survey on the public opinion in Georgia that were conducted from 20 May to 11 June.

The survey shows that 66% of the questioned citizens think that their country is moving in the wrong direction. The economic problems of the country are listed as the most important challenges. These include unemployment (59%), cost of living (11%) and poverty (7%) as the key issues followed by the loss of territories (5%). Amongst the biggest accomplishments of the government the most common response was that the government accomplished nothing or that the recipients gave no answer (35%/25%) followed by the improvement of the healthcare system (15%), the visa liberalization with the EU (4%) and the freedom of speech in the country (4%).

When it comes to the popularity of the political parties: the ruling Georgian Dream is still the most popular voting option (26%) closely followed by the United National Movement (22%), whilst European Georgia-Free Democrats (7%), Patriotic Alliance (5%) and the Labor Party (5%) are enjoying support just over the census mark. The Georgian church (89%), the army (87%), the media (70%) and the police (52%) were named as the most trustworthy institutions in the country, while the prosecutor's office (25%), the national bank (25%), the courts (23%) and the trade unions (18%) are at the bottom of the list. The only persons who were rated positively in the current political establishment of the country were the Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze (59% favorable, 34% unfavorable), the Major of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze (49% favorable, 43% unfavorable) and the Chairman of the UNM Grigol Vashadze (48% favorable, 43% unfavorable), while the other major figures are considered more unfavorable then favorable.

In the sphere of the country’s foreign policy, the polls show that Georgia has the best relationships with Ukraine (90%), the USA (87%) and the EU (87%). These three entities are both considered as the main political (USA tops the list) and economic (EU tops the list) partners of Georgia. The support for the country to join the EU and NATO is still large with 57% supporting the EU integration (2% less than in 2018) and 49% supporting joining NATO (1% less than in 2018). Russia is considered as the biggest foreign threat to the country, but 46% of the questioned citizens support that their country still should maintain dialogue with Moscow. 

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