2020-07-31
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia spoke with National Democratic Institute (NDI) President Derek Mitchell and representatives of the NDI Pre-Election Assessment Mission in the format of a video conference.
The parties discussed the pre-election environment in the country and the process of preparing for the elections. Attention was given to the reforms implemented by the government to further improve the electoral environment, and the special importance of the constitutional changes concerning the electoral system for the democratic development of the country was stressed. The head of the government reaffirmed the authorities' readiness to ensure that the parliamentary elections are held in accordance with the highest democratic standards.
The importance of combating disinformation and hate speech, as well as of the proactive sharing of any election-related information with the relevant actors was also discussed.
According to the head of the government, a number of observer organizations will have the opportunity to assess the electoral process on the ground despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of protecting the health and safety of voters at the highest level under the conditions of COVID-19. According to him, work has begun on the relevant protocols in this regard.
NDI Senior Associate and Director for Election Programs Patrick Merloe, NDI Regional Director for Eurasia Programs Laura Jewett, Resident Director of NDI Kyrgyzstan Alan Gillam, NDI Georgia Senior Program Manager and Gender Advisor Teona Kupunia, NDI Parliamentary Program Coordinator Mariam Baramidze, and from the Georgian side, Head of Government Administration Natia Mezvrishvili and Kakhaber Kemoklidze, head of the Office of the National Security Council, participated in the meeting, which was held in the format of a video conference.
Press Service of the Government Administration