TBILISI. 27 June 2008 – The recent political situation in Georgia has been characterized by tension and unrest. The run-up to Georgia’s parliamentary elections in May 2008 saw a rise in tension between the government and political opposition as well as mass unrest in November 2007 followed by early presidential polls in January 2008. Political opposition strongly questioned the fairness of the electoral process predicting mass ballot rigging, while media fanned the situation with aggressive language and unbalanced coverage.

The electoral administration faces the challenging task to conduct elections in an environment of high political polarization, lack of trust and allegations of multiple violations.

UNDP’s approach

UNDP has been supporting electoral processes in Georgia since 2003. In July 2007, UNDP’s Georgia Country Office launched another project to help the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia prepare for the 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Speaking in Tbilisi at the official launch of the project in July 2007, Robert Watkins, UNDP Resident Representative in Georgia, said, “We closely worked with the Central Election Commission to identify the needs and draw up a project that would help the Commission undertake its mission of holding free and fair elections.”   

With more than $3 million (USD) in funding from the European Commission, Government of Georgia and UNDP’s own resources, the project addressed immediate electoral needs, such as professional training for the electoral administration throughout the country, as well as works to develop long-term capacities for fair electoral processes.

Four major components of the project serve as the basis for ensuring free and fair elections: qualified electoral administrations, well-informed voters, a stable Unified Electoral Code and increased civil participation.

Training/Capacity Building

Before the extraordinary presidential elections of January 2008 and parliamentary elections of May 2008, the project provided assistance to the CEC in planning procedural training strategies and schedules, developing manuals and instructions and training for permanent and temporary members and support staff of the Electoral Administration.

With presidential elections forthcoming, training was provided to approximately 50,000 members of the Electoral Administration, including 76 District and 3,447 Precinct Electoral Commissions. The training plan was revised and adjusted for parliamentary elections. Training format and modules reflected changes to the Unified Electoral Code and the increased number of the District Electoral Commissions members. The updated plan concentrated on improving training content in counting, tabulation, complaints and results transmission processes, as well as instituting proper monitoring to ensure credible results. Overall, 1,964 training sessions were conducted for Precinct Electoral Commissions and 75 for District Electoral Commissions.

Special long-term training modules based on the internationally recognized methodology “Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections” (BRIDGE) will be developed after parliamentary elections to benefit the permanent electoral administration.  

Voter Education/Information

To promote informed citizens’ choices and encourage adequate and balanced reporting on the parliamentary elections, UNDP supported the CEC in improving its pre-election communication campaign. The information and education campaign covered the country, including rural areas and regions populated with ethnic minorities. The programme also included professional training for media in reporting on elections by the Reuters Foundation.

In the future, UNDP plans to expand voter education activities to form a broader civic education campaign to include public debates and information campaigns on values of democracy and active citizenship.

Sustainability of the Unified Electoral Code

After parliamentary elections, UNDP focused on advocating for a stable Unified Electoral Code to avoid constant changes that, based on political expediency, usually happen close to the election date.

UNDP will support political debate on basic concepts of the law. This includes round-table discussions attended by members of the Electoral Administration, local experts, NGOs, representatives of the Government, Parliament and all relevant stakeholders. The process will be in close cooperation with local and international partners, including the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission and the OSCE. For that purpose, UNDP will provide the Central Electoral Commission with legal expertise. This work will start by fall 2008 after planned elections in an autonomous region of Georgia – Ajara.

Public Awareness Campaign and Promotion of Civic Participation

The Georgian Young Lawyers Association, a local non-governmental organization, implemented a public awareness campaign before the parliamentary elections in 2008 which increased citizen understanding of electoral standards and procedures. Media campaigns and bus tours were arranged throughout the country. TV/radio ads in national and regional broadcast media informed voters on procedures and promoted participation in the elections. The bus tours involved distribution of promotion materials, such as information leaflets, T-shirts and caps, and role plays on election simulation. This served as another tool for informing the public about procedures and increasing motivation to vote. A hotline was also arranged where young lawyers provided legal advice to the population at large.

Similar activities will continue for the upcoming Ajara Elections. In addition, the advocacy campaign will address citizens to ensure civic engagement and participation in decision-making. Issues of concern identified at the community level will be discussed with representatives of central and local government, newly elected majoritarian MPs, media, NGOs and international organizations.