On Thursday, April 26 at 4:45 p.m. in the offices of the Central Election Commission, U.S. Ambassador John R. Bass and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Stephen M. Haykin will join Commission Chairman Zurab Kharatishvili to formalize cooperation to improve election administration in Georgia. They will sign a memorandum of understanding outlining U.S. Government assistance to the Central Election Commission in the period leading up to the 2012 parliamentary elections. Press is invited to attend.
The Memorandum of Understanding describes activities implemented through USAID's Increased Trust in the Electoral Process (ITEP) program, which will increase the effectiveness of election administration, enhance involvement and engagement in election-related activities by citizens and civil society, and facilitate voter enfranchisement and reform of electoral legislation. ITEP is administered by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) under an award from USAID. The USG has supported electoral reform in Georgia for much of the last 20 years; during this period the USG invested $20 million in Georgian election assistance programming.
