On the website, at http://www.pcc.parliament.ge, visitors can access videos from Your Parliament, a televised discussion of key legislation featuring ruling party and opposition parliamentarians. For many Georgians, the Your Parliament program marks the first time they have seen their directly-elected legislator discussing real issues that affect them, such as taxation, voting rules, and pension reform. The program is produced by the Parliamentary Communication Center (PCC), which aims to help regional television provide more local context about legislative issues and members of parliament.
The video segments are produced at the request of 19 regional television stations that are broadcasting Your Parliament. Each segment features a member of parliament elected from the region reached by the broadcaster's signal. The video segments can be searched on the website by topic, the parliamentarians involved, and the regional television station that initially broadcast the program.
Your Parliament also has a Facebook page, which allows for two-way communication between legislators and their constituents.
"The PCC provides an opportunity for Georgian citizens to hear from their local, directly elected representatives as well as different views on issues before Parliament," said Luis Navarro, NDI-Georgia director. "Our public opinion research shows that almost half of all Georgians define democracy as hearing different viewpoints. Two-thirds of Georgians don't know their local, directly-elected member of parliament and want more information about how the actions of Parliament affect them."
NDI established the Parliamentary Communications Center, which will be housed within the Parliament. The PCC is co-sponsored by the Parliament of Georgia, Internews-Georgia and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
