World Political Leaders Reviewed in Caucasus

Angus Reid Global Scan, Canada
May 23 2005

World Political Leaders Reviewed in Caucasus

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Adults in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan
hold different views on the heads of state of other countries,
according to a poll by Gallup International released by AzerNews.

For Georgians, current president Mikhail Saakashvili is first on the
list of trusted politicians with 72 per cent, followed by Ukrainian
president Viktor Yushchenko with 64 per cent and United States
president George W. Bush with 45 per cent.

Georgia was the site of political instability in the last weeks of
2003, after the Georgian Supreme Court partially annulled the results
of a parliamentary election. The ensuing crisis led to the
resignation of president Eduard Shevardnadze after opposition
politicians requested his dismissal over electoral fraud. The country
chose former justice minister Saakashvili as the new head of state in
January 2004

For Armenians, Russian president Vladimir Putin is the most trusted
leader at 87 per cent, followed by Armenian president Robert
Kocharyan with 63 per cent and Belarusian president Aleksandr
Lukashenko with 40 per cent. Kocharyan was re-elected to a new
four-year term in March 2003 in an election marred by fraud
allegations.

In Azerbaijan, Putin is first with 51 per cent, followed by
Saakashvili with 45 per cent and Yushchenko with 34 per cent. In
October 2003, Haidar Aliyev – who had ruled Azerbaijan since
1993 – retired from the presidential race after recurrent health
problems. His son Ilham was eventually elected with 77.97 per cent of
all cast ballots. International observers alleged intimidation and
media bias in favour of Ilham. According to the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the election failed to
meet international standards.

Polling Data

Do you trust the following world leaders?
(Positive responses only)

Geo. Arm. Aze.

Georgia – Mikhail Saakashvili 72% 26% 45%

Ukraine -Viktor Yushchenko 64% 27% 34%

U.S. – George W. Bush 45% 32% 32%

Armenia – Robert Kocharyan 19% 63% 0%

Russia – Vladimir Putin 15% 87% 51%

Belarus – Aleksandr Lukashenko 15% 40% 22%

Source: Gallup International / AzerNews
Methodology: Interviews to 1,000 Georgian adults, 1,000 Armenian
adults and 1,000 Azerbaijani adults, conducted in April 2005. No
margin of error was provided.