Elections

On October 1, 2012, the people of Georgia came out in record numbers for what turned out to be historic Parliamentary elections. Nearly ten years after the fraudulent Parliamentary elections in 2003 led to the Rose Revolution, Georgia’s President Saakashvili conceded that his party had been defeated by an opposition coalition in what was the country’s first peaceful and democratic transition of power. By achieving this milestone, Georgia set a regional example of commitment to democracy. USAID programs contributed directly to the capacity of Georgians to successfully conduct these elections. USAID projects improved electoral processes, enabled a competitive electoral environment, and increased media programming and access related to the elections, as well as increased citizen participation in electoral processes.

USAID has more than $17 million in programming directly related to the 2012-14 parliamentary and presidential elections in Georgia for projects dedicated to improving electoral processes and enabling a competitive electoral environment. These projects also include support for elections observation teams.

Current programs:

Parliamentary Strengthening Project

Sept 2009 – Aug 2013

National Democratic Institute (NDI)

www.ndi.org

This project focuses on improving the human and institutional capacity of Parliament, and strengthening the ability of members of Parliament and parliamentary party caucuses to engage one another within an environment of constructive policy debate.

Strengthening Political Competition in Georgia                                

Sept 2010 – Aug 2014

Political Party Strengthening (PPS)

International Republican Institute (IRI)

www.iri.org.ge

Activities promote a more balanced and developed political party system in Georgia by building the capacity of political parties that have the potential to act as constructive forces in the Georgian political environment. Interventions will address: 1) the capacity of political parties to function constructively to represent the political views of constituents and compete in elections; 2) the need to encourage the growth of young political leaders; and 3) the enabling environment in which political parties act.

Increased Trust in Electoral Processes

Aug 2010 - July 2014

International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

www.ifes.org

Activities address the longer term negative effects of the electoral system on the enabling environment by focusing on election law reform between election cycles; building the capacity of the election administration; building the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) to provide oversight over election cycles, and increasing public awareness about election related issues and processes; and to address short-term electoral system issues during a particular election cycle by focusing on pre-election training and monitoring related to the 2012 Parliamentary election, the 2013 Presidential election, and, with limited resources, the 2014 local elections.