2020 Election Observation Mission in Georgia

Hello, my name is Davit Lazashvili. I’m organizing this very important fundraising campaign on behalf of my good friend from Georgia - Ketevan Chachava, Founder and Executive Director of The Center for Development and Democracy (CDD), Tbilisi based Nonprofit organization for conducting election observation mission for 2020 parliamentary elections in Georgia.

Abstract
A group of motivated, experienced, non-partisan, professional civil society activists are looking for your support to conduct an election observation mission for an upcoming 2020 Parliamentary Election in Georgia.

This project is vital for Georgia, a young democracy, especially considering the COVID 19 pandemic, because of which the number of international observers arriving in the country for this election will be lower than usual. Therefore, the need for professional and neutral domestic observation conducted by a trusted civil society organization is as high as ever.

Introduction
Elections are the cornerstone of democratic development.
However, some elections are much more important than others. Such is the upcoming Parliamentary election in Georgia. This election can become a milestone for the democratization process in our country.

Impartial and professional domestic observer organizations have a crucial role to play in terms of strengthening democratization process and increasing public trust towards elections, especially now, when because of the circumstances caused by the pandemic number of international observers will be less than usual.

The Center for Development and Democracy (CDD)
The process of democratization is an important priority for the Georgian society. This is why in 2008 we, a group of young Georgian civic activists, established a nonprofit organization- Center for Development and Democracy (CDD).  Ever since, supporting Georgia’s European and Euro Atlantic integration, promoting democratization process in Georgia and improving the electoral environment has been one of the main goals and proprieties for our organization.

In our work, we strongly observe the following principles: Rule of law, Independence, Impartiality, Accuracy, Transparency, Cooperation and Professionalism.

During all these years we conducted domestic and international election observation, organized voter education programs, carried out parallel vote tabulation (PVT), conducted voters, including first-time voters, awareness-raising campaigns, developed and advocated for election legislation amendments.

Relying on international standards and best practices and with the support of international donors in 2010 – 2019 we monitored 19 different elections in Georgia.

Our observation mission covers a full election cycle: Pre-election period, Election day, and Post-election period.

We are proud that our Observers Code of Conduct, which is an excellent example of best international practice implementation on a local level, sets one of the highest standards among domestic observer organizations in Georgia. The Code is mandatory to follow for every member of our observation mission.

CDD has published a number of election monitoring reports, statements, recommendation packages. These documents are based on our observation findings and international best practices. CDD is an active participant of working groups and commissions, created to improve the electoral environment in Georgia. We are the authors of a number of recommendations, which later became part of election legislation. We are results-oriented, and we base our work on advocating broader public interests.

We believe that active and effective communication with society is of paramount importance. We also believe that it is crucial to build and keep the trust of the various stakeholders. CDD has a successful partnership and cooperation with all respective domestic, international stakeholders in the election field.

2020 Parliamentary election observation mission
We plan to deploy the 200-member observation mission across the country - Including Core Team, Long-term (LTOs) and Short-term observers (STOs).


Observers will be recruited among the pool of CDD Observers’ Network. The Network brings together more than 500 impartial, qualified, experienced and motivated observers from all regions of the country.

We will also involve highly qualified international observers into our observation mission, turning it into an unique combination of domestic-international observation. As a result of the work of the observation mission, we will produce a comprehensive report on the election, which include recommendations based on progress and shortcomings observed during this election.
 
We count on your help to implement our observation mission for 2020 parliamentary election in Georgia.

We are the first civil society organization in Georgia, relying on crowdfunding for conducting its election observation mission. If we succeed, this can be a great motivation, inspiration and support for all those individuals and groups who are on the front-lines of the fight for freedom and democracy worldwide.

With your support, we will be the first organization from our country to do so.

Let’s make history together!

Help us be front-runners!

Help us build a stronger Democracy in Georgia!

Help us at the front-lines of fighting for democracy!


Visit Official Web site of CDD