Levan Sanikidze : Not even Dimitri Gelovani or Aleko Elisashvili can change the perception of the voters that the October 4, 2004 election was a Russian special operations aimed at giving legitimacy to Ivanishvili  

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**Georgian Dream’s Legitimacy Games: A Manipulative Poll?**

In a recent statement, Levan Sanikidze, one of the leaders of the United National Movement (UNM), has accused Irakli Kobakhidze and Bidzina Ivanishvili of manipulating public opinion through a poll that favors their own parties. According to Sanikidze, the goal of this poll was to diminish the role of opposition parties not participating in the October 4 elections and to convince voters to take part in “Bidzina Ivanishvili’s legitimacy games.”

Sanikidze questioned the neutrality of the GORBI poll, which showed Georgian Dream with a high level of support. He argued that any neutral research would show that over 70% of voters are against taking part in this election, deemed by many as a Russian special operation aimed at granting legitimacy to Ivanishvili.

**A Systemic Opposition?**

Sanikidze accused Bidzina Ivanishvili of wanting to create a systemic opposition, with some parties participating in this alleged game either knowingly or unwittingly. He pointed out that the poll’s numbers were manipulative and did not reflect the true public mood.

The statement also touched on the recent announcement by Aleko Elisashvili, a leader of Lelo-For a Strong Georgia, who has decided to participate in the elections as a joint mayoral candidate with Gakharia-For Georgia. Sanikidze questioned the objective justification for this change of stance and argued that Elisashvili’s party was now more focused on gaining second place than on fighting against Ivanishvili’s regime.

**No Real Election on October 4**

Sanikidze emphasized that, in his opinion, there is no real election on October 4. He believed that the Central Election Commission (CEC) and other authorities would manipulate the results to favor Georgian Dream. He also pointed out that public mood was against participating in this election, which he saw as a Russian special operation aimed at normalizing the situation.

The UNM leader concluded by stating that their position is guided by pragmatic thinking and the interest of the Georgian people. They will take steps dictated by these principles, rather than engaging in what they see as Ivanishvili’s legitimacy games.

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