The Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), met with the long-term election observation of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) for the 2024 parliamentary elections led by Natasha Rothchild. The main topic of discussion concerned activities carried out by the election administration for 26 elections and ongoing work.

Giorgi Kalandarishvili discussed in detail with the mission representatives the work and projects undertaken by the election administration that shall ensure the administering of 26 elections at a high professional level and in line with international standards. The key emphasis was placed on the adoption of technologies into the electoral processes. He underscored that both - the training of election administrators and the voter information campaign, which commenced a year and a half before the elections, are actively underway. The Chair highlighted that the election administration has adopted most of the NDI recommendations, including a nationwide demonstration project for voting technologies. Additionally, the number of polling stations using these technologies has increased, and an informative and educational campaign is actively underway to inform voters.

At the meeting, they addressed the critical issue of disinformation related to election matters. The CEC Chair shared the Georgian election administration’s experiences and responses to this challenge.

Discussion took place during the meeting. Participants discussed pressing election matters and shared their opinions. Following the meeting, CEC repeatedly underscored that the election administration welcomes the involvement of international election observer organizations in the 26 elections. According to the Chair, the election administration, as an open and transparent institution, has always maintained close cooperation with observation missions, which will continue in the future. This collaboration is a key component in ensuring electoral integrity.

The NDI commenced its long-term observation mission for the October 26 parliamentary election in Georgia last week.