Political analysts linked Gakhariya's high rating with his success as Georgia's Premier

Giorgi Gakhariya, a Former Prime Minister of Georgia, has topped the rating of politicians' popularity according to the poll conducted by the "Edison Research". Mr Gakhariya has won the popularity among voters thanks to his reputation as a good crisis manager, the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

On June 25, the international research company "Edison Research" circulated the results of its study according to which 57 percent of residents of Georgia have expressed their sympathy for Giorgi Gakhariya, a former Prime Minister and the current leader of the "For Georgia" Party. Thus, he is the leader among Georgian politicians in terms of the level of trust among respondents. Kakha Kaladze, the Tbilisi Mayor, is in second place in the rating (50 percent), and Nika Meliya, the leader of the "National Movement", is in the third place (47 percent).

The high Giorgi Gakhariya's rating is due to the fact that voters saw in him the "third force", Nika Chitadze, a political analyst, believes. "Voters talked for a long time about the 'third force' and now they hastened to see it in Giorgi Gakhariya," Mr Chitadze told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Gakhariya has won voters' sympathy due to his work as Premier during the coronavirus pandemic, Soso Tsintsadze, a former head of the Georgian Diplomatic Academy, believes. "He was not tough in relation to the opposition; he made no irreparable statements; and during the pandemic, when strong-willed decisions were needed, he worked. Voters got an impression that Gakhariya is a technocrat and a skilful manager," Mr Tsintsadze told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 26, 2021 at 10:40 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.