Elections Media Center Launched
Local civil society organizations in cooperation with the international organizations launched the Elections Media Center (EMC) at the beginning of October. For two months the EMC will serve as the database of information related with the upcoming Parliamentary elections, due on November 2, 2003.
On October 22, 2003 the initiator agencies conducted the presentation of the EMC.
Initiated by UNA-Georgia, UNDP, IFES, and Embassy of German Federal Republic the Elections Media Center will regularly and shortly cover the events and news related to the elections in Georgia. It will provide the citizens with the timely and accurate information and independent analysis of the election related on-going processes as the center aims to establish the model of fair analytical coverage and comprehensive analysis of the election related events.
The EMC via mass media will serve as a link directly leading civil society and experts to the citizens, international and local organizations, to governmental and non-governmental agencies.
“The EMC through independent group of experts, network of observers of the local non-governmental organizations, and its contacts with the Central Election Commission will serve as the mediator between the interested parties, citizens and media,”-Givi Ordenidze, the EMC coordinator said at the presentation of the EMC on October 22, 2003.
A group of experts will shortly cover the election related events in Georgia. “The majority of experts is from the civil sector and will actively cooperate with the center”-Givi Ordenidze told advocacy.Ge.
The important source of the information is the network of local CSOs observers, which will timely provide the center with the latest information on November 2. The electronic media source of the center www.elections.ge is one more valuable opportunity for interested parties to have timely information regarding the elections process.
As the coordinator of EMC stated the center has three main phases of activity: in pre-election period, on the day of elections, and after the elections. In pre-election period the EMC has already started with discussing the pre-election actions in Adjara Autonomous Republic and the mess in the voter lists.
The most actively center will function on November 2, where the major attention will be paid to the violations, if any, taking place during the elections and the progress of the ballot itself.
After November 2, the EMC will pay major attention to the results of elections monitoring of international and local organizations and their evaluation of the process. The center will also create the data base of political organizations, candidates under proportional and majority electoral systems, taking part in the parliamentary elections.
“We hope the society will benefit from the our services and it will help to hold fair and democratic elections in Georgia”-Givi Ordenidze told Advocacy.Ge