The Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC) discussed the current election issues with the representatives of the United Nations Office in Georgia.

Giorgi Kalandarishvili met with Didier Trebucq, UN Resident Coordinator, Douglas Webb, UNDP Resident Representative in Georgia and Oleh Protsyk, Regional Peace and Development Advisor, at the UN Office in Georgia.

The main topic of the meeting was the 2024 elections. The CEC Chairperson provided a detailed overview of the election administration’s efforts to ensure the elections are conducted at the highest professional level, in accordance with international standards. Kalandarishvili underlined that 27 political parties are registered for the elections, with the next step of submitting the party lists by September 26 deadline. To assist political parties in their campaign efforts, the CEC assigned sequence numbers to the parties considering the earliest possible timeframe.

During today’s meeting, they also discussed the CEC’s initiative to develop a code of ethics for political parties, which is expected to be signed soon. The CEC Chairperson indicated that the code of ethics will be signed with non-governmental organizations. Additionally, Giorgi Kalandarishvili noted that, to enhance ethical standards among election administrators, the CEC has made significant updates to the code of ethics for its members.

During the meeting, discussions also covered the registration of local observation organizations and voter information in the context of electronic elections. Giorgi Kalandarishvili emphasized the election administration welcomes impartial and objective observation of elections. Regarding voter information on technological aspects, he noted that the administration has undertaken numerous activities, reaching over half a million voters to date. This includes nationwide demonstrations of election technologies, which featured both theoretical and practical components, addressing recommendations from the National Democratic Institute (NDI) for comprehensive testing of election technologies.

The parties also discussed the current needs and challenges faced by the election administration, including the issue of disinformation.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Giorgi Kalandarishvili expressed his gratitude to the UN representatives for their engagement on key election issues. He emphasized that collaboration with international organizations and their support is crucial for the election administration.