On October 26, pro-government TV channel “Imedi TV” published an information card stating that, according to Polymarket’s data, at this moment “Georgian Dream” has a 95% chance of winning, while the opposition has a 5% chance. “Imedi” quickly deleted this information, but it is still available on Radio “Imedi’s” page.
“Imedi” is covering a public opinion poll manipulatively, in violation of the Election Code. According to Article 50, Paragraph 5 of the Election Code, it is prohibited to cover the results of public opinion polls related to election before 20:00 of the voting day. Additionally, Polymarket is actually a prediction market where users bet money on outcomes, earning profits if they predict the outcome correctly, hence the poll outcomes are not methodologically sound. Disseminating such polls during voting day may result in misleading the voters.
“Radio Imedi” disseminated the mentioned information based on Polymarket. Voting on Polymarket is live on the question: “Will Georgian Dream win a majority in Georgia parliamentary election?” If a user answers “yes,” they pay 83 cents, and if they select “no,” they pay 39 cents. The results are updated live and change every second.
Polymarket is a prediction platform where users can place bets on various topics, from global events and science to politics and sports. Users who placed bets can collect their winnings after the CEC announces the results.
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What does the Election Code State?
Paragraph 5 of Article 50 of the Election Code of Georgia prohibits the coverage of the results of public opinion polls related to elections 48 prior to the voting and before 20:00 of the voting day.
Notably, when covering public opinion during the pre-election period, the broadcaster must follow the requirements set out in Article 51, Paragraph 11 of the Election Code, ensuring that the poll results are only shared after verifying the methodology’s reliability and the results’ objectivity. The methodology and necessary details should be clearly indicated to prevent misleading the public.
The poll published by “Imedi” is not methodologically sound and does not meet the standards outlined in the Election Code.
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