“This is not an election; this is a telephone poll. If they organise it properly and spend significant resources, they can conduct a meaningful sociological study,” a member of the Girchi party, Aleksandre Rakviashvili, stated.

When asked about civil activist Paata Burchuladze’s statement suggesting that telephone elections might be held in September, Rakviashvili responded, “We are aware of this idea, but we believe it’s a waste of time. It won’t produce any meaningful results. If they organise it properly and invest a lot of money, perhaps they could gather useful data on the ratings of various political parties. But more likely, they will simply squander people’s attention and their own funds, giving false hope to voters who think something will change. This could lead to disappointment and further weaken the opposition—that’s the main outcome I foresee. They’ve reached out to us, and I wish them success, but I doubt anything positive will come from this.”

Rakviashvili emphasised that Girchi is not participating in this process.

“We are not involved at all. If they plan to hold elections, they should register all parties, which is in their interest. They should include the Georgian Dream. They can register us or not. This is not an election—it’s a telephone poll. If their goal is to gauge party ratings, they must include us. We do not take part in this process, and I cannot guarantee that we will be on the ballot. Let’s wait and see; we will follow. I believe Salome Zourabichvili has no real role in the opposition, so her attendance or absence at meetings is inconsequential. Strangely, anyone is still interested in her activities. I don’t care how they organise their activities or whether she is involved. Legitimacy can be verified easily. If they believe that the person they elect through this process will be legitimate—say, by issuing orders, collecting taxes, or even releasing Mikheil Saakashvili from prison—then I might accept that legitimacy. Otherwise, I see no connection between a telephone poll and genuine legitimacy.”

Rakviashvili concluded, “People believe in many fairy tales, and so one might think a telephone poll is an election. I don’t oppose them conducting such polls, but I don’t believe they have any real political significance.”