TBILISI – The National Democratic Institute (NDI) announced today that it will conduct a pre-election assessment mission focused on Georgia's parliamentary election scheduled for October 8. The mission is a demonstration of the international community’s continuing support for democratic processes in Georgia and is intended to help promote public confidence in the electoral process.

Members of the delegation, which began holding meetings today, are Sam Coppersmith, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party; Per Eklund, former ambassador and former head of the European Union Delegation to Georgia; Michael Posner, former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State; Janusz Onyszkiewicz, former Minister of Defense and member of parliament in the Polish Sejm; Laura Jewett, NDI regional director for Eurasia; and Laura Thornton, NDI senior resident country director in Georgia.

The delegation will assess the status of electoral preparations and review the general electoral environment through a series of meetings with government officials, candidates, political party leaders, election authorities, members of the media, and representatives of civil society and the international community. The NDI assessment mission will conduct its activities in a nonpartisan, professional manner, in accordance with Georgian law and the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.

At a concluding press conference on June 17, the delegation will release a statement highlighting its findings and offering recommendations to strengthen the integrity of the elections. No comments will be made prior to the press conference.

The observation delegation is supported by a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

NDI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. The Institute has been working in the country since 1994 to support the development of the parliament, political parties and civil society.

For more information about NDI and its programs, please visit www.ndi.org.