Building on recent outreach efforts in the cities of Kutaisi and Batumi, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy and Transparency International-Georgia met with nearly 70 citizens in Gori and Telavi on November 8 and 11 to discuss electoral reform. Citizens who participated in the discussions included local activists, representatives from non-profit organizations, political parties, media outlets and election commission members.

With IFES support, the organizations participated in two television talk shows focusing on election code reform.  These shows aired on Tskheli Khazi on TV Trialeti in Gori and Dialogi on Tanamgzavri TV in Telavi.  

During these events, the NGOs highlighted topics from their recent opinion paper Comments on Amendments to Election Legislation. These topics included election administration, dispute resolution, punitive measures for violations, political finance, use of administrative resources, the electoral system and the voters’ list. While the opinion paper details progress on some of these issues, it asserts that some, such as the electoral system, are in need of further discussion in Georgia.

IFES has continued to help these three Georgian NGOs promote inclusiveness and increase voter awareness of the election code reform process through regional outreach and cooperation with local media.