The News in Brief
Friday, September 20, 2024
Prepared by Messenger Staff
Mamuka Khazaradze Criticizes Gakharia for Withdrawing from Coalition Agreement
Mamuka Khazaradze, one of the leaders of the Strong Georgia coalition, stated that he is still willing to sign an agreement with Giorgi Gakharia's party. In a Facebook post, Khazaradze noted that Gakharia himself cancelled the negotiations, citing a statement made by Levan Tsutskiridze as the reason - a move Khazaradze described as "unserious".
Khazaradze explained that on September 18, a specific plan had been agreed upon with the president, which placed the Strong Georgia coalition and Gakharia's party on equal terms. According to the plan, they would unite under electoral number 9 (the number assigned to Strong Georgia) and pledge not to support the formation of a Georgian Dream government, while also committing to complete the Anaklia Port project with Western investments.
"The new alliance would have been managed with full parity. I discussed this agreement with the coalition partners, and they fully supported it. I expressed my readiness to sign the agreement publicly yesterday.
Today, I was prepared to sign the agreement at the president's residence. At 3:00 PM, Gakharia called me and informed me that he was withdrawing from the agreement. He immediately made a statement on social media regarding this. Later in the evening, he rejected the previously agreed terms in front of the president. His main argument was the interview given by Mr. Tsutskiridze to TV Formula, which looks unserious in the context of these negotiations.
I regret that our discussions have ended. I remain ready to sign the initial agreement. As for Gakharia, he will have to explain to supporters why he refused to take this step," Khazaradze wrote.
Edison Research Poll Reveals Support for Various Opposition Coalition Scenarios
As part of a public opinion poll conducted by Edison Research, voters were asked about the potential support for different configurations of opposition party coalitions, ranging from full unification to larger coalitions than currently exist.
According to the survey results, if pro-European opposition parties were to unite, the support would be distributed as follows:
- Georgian Dream / People's Power - 38%
- Pro-European opposition coalition (Unity, Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia, Gakharia - For Georgia, Labor Party, Girchi - Iago Khvichia) - 62%
In a scenario where the opposition splits into two major blocs-one with "Unity" and "Coalition for Change," and the other with "Strong Georgia" and "Gakharia - For Georgia"-the results would be:
- Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia - 39%
- Unity, Coalition for Change - 36%
- Strong Georgia, Gakharia - For Georgia - 25%
The survey was commissioned and funded by TV Formula and conducted by the reputable American organization Edison Research. The poll was carried out from September 1 to September 15 across Georgia, excluding the occupied territories. A total of 1,200 Georgian citizens eligible to vote were interviewed face-to-face. The margin of error is +/- 2.8% with a confidence level of 95%.
Mamuka Khazaradze Criticizes Gakharia for Withdrawing from Coalition Agreement
Khazaradze explained that on September 18, a specific plan had been agreed upon with the president, which placed the Strong Georgia coalition and Gakharia's party on equal terms. According to the plan, they would unite under electoral number 9 (the number assigned to Strong Georgia) and pledge not to support the formation of a Georgian Dream government, while also committing to complete the Anaklia Port project with Western investments.
"The new alliance would have been managed with full parity. I discussed this agreement with the coalition partners, and they fully supported it. I expressed my readiness to sign the agreement publicly yesterday.
Today, I was prepared to sign the agreement at the president's residence. At 3:00 PM, Gakharia called me and informed me that he was withdrawing from the agreement. He immediately made a statement on social media regarding this. Later in the evening, he rejected the previously agreed terms in front of the president. His main argument was the interview given by Mr. Tsutskiridze to TV Formula, which looks unserious in the context of these negotiations.
I regret that our discussions have ended. I remain ready to sign the initial agreement. As for Gakharia, he will have to explain to supporters why he refused to take this step," Khazaradze wrote.
Edison Research Poll Reveals Support for Various Opposition Coalition Scenarios
According to the survey results, if pro-European opposition parties were to unite, the support would be distributed as follows:
- Georgian Dream / People's Power - 38%
- Pro-European opposition coalition (Unity, Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia, Gakharia - For Georgia, Labor Party, Girchi - Iago Khvichia) - 62%
In a scenario where the opposition splits into two major blocs-one with "Unity" and "Coalition for Change," and the other with "Strong Georgia" and "Gakharia - For Georgia"-the results would be:
- Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia - 39%
- Unity, Coalition for Change - 36%
- Strong Georgia, Gakharia - For Georgia - 25%
The survey was commissioned and funded by TV Formula and conducted by the reputable American organization Edison Research. The poll was carried out from September 1 to September 15 across Georgia, excluding the occupied territories. A total of 1,200 Georgian citizens eligible to vote were interviewed face-to-face. The margin of error is +/- 2.8% with a confidence level of 95%.