The International Republican Institute (IRI) announced the arrival of its international Technical Election Assessment Mission (TEAM) to assess the October 31, 2020 parliamentary elections in Georgia. The mission’s deployment follows an invitation from the Georgian Central Electoral Commission (CESKO) and builds upon IRI’s 25-year partnership with Georgia, including previous election observations and assessments conducted over the last decade.

“These parliamentary elections represent an important step for Georgia’s democracy and a litmus test for Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations,” said IRI Regional Director for Eurasia Stephen Nix. “IRI’s mission will prioritize key issues affecting electoral integrity, including election administration, media freedom and transparency, campaign finance, political party campaigns, as well as voting safety measures being implemented during the COVID-19 crisis”.

The TEAM comprises a diverse group of five technical long-term analysts who will review all phases of the electoral process and issue a series of reports on their findings. These studies will be informed by in-depth interviews with government officials, the electoral administration, political party leaders, civil society and media representatives.

The technical assessment team will conduct its activities in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers, and will base its findings and recommendations on Georgia’s laws, international standards for elections and the commitments made by political parties in the Code of Conduct for Political Parties.

In recognition of the risks posed by COVID-19, IRI has implemented rigorous safety and security procedures requiring the assessment team to adhere to the Georgian government’s health regulations”, - reads the statement of IRI.