The U.S. National Democratic Institute (NDI) will dispatch a high-level delegation to Georgia from October 4–8 to assess preparations for the November 2 parliamentary elections.
The delegation will include: John M. Shalikashvili, former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff; Strobe Talbott, President of the Brookings Institution and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State; Sam Gejdenson, former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; Brooke Shearer, Member of the Board of the International Center for Research on Women and former U.S. Interior Department Senior Advisor; and Patrick Merloe, NDI Senior Associate and Director of Electoral Programs.
The purposes of this pre-election mission are to express the support of the international community for a democratic electoral process in Georgia and to examine the electoral environment leading up to the November 2 polls.
“The conduct of the upcoming elections will impact the future of Georgia and its relationship with the community of democratic nations,” said NDI Chairperson Madeleine Albright, the former U.S. Secretary of State.
“NDI is fortunate that such a distinguished delegation will visit Tbilisi to demonstrate our support for an electoral process that enjoys the confidence of the people of Georgia,” she added.