Launching of the Election Media Centers at Centers for Civic Engagement in 10 regions of Georgia
On July 26 at 12:00 o’clock Media Centers will be opened at all Centers for Civic Engagement (CCE) for the upcoming 2016 parliamentary elections. The Centers for Civic Engagement are located in 10 cities of Georgia: Akhlatsikhe, Batumi, Gori, Kutaisi, Marneuli, Ozurgeti, Rustavi, Sagarejo, Telavi and Zugdidi. The opening ceremony will be launched with welcoming video address from the Head of USAID Caucasus Office, Mr. Douglas Ball.
The media centers will offer citizens, journalists, civil society organizations (CSOs), candidates, and political parties a safe, neutral space for debate and dissemination of information; and facilitate interaction between candidates and their constituents, thus empowering citizens to make an informed choice at the ballot box.
In particular, the Media Centers will:
- Organize and host media briefings and pre-election debates between candidates (both national proportional candidates and single-mandate majoritarian candidates) to publicize their election platforms, engage with journalists, and respond to citizens’ concerns.
- Serve local and national journalists by providing information on key issues related to the elections (new electoral district boundaries, elections administration procedures, voter registration and voting procedures, comprehensive lists of participating parties, etc.).
- On Election Day, the media centers will serve as the local hub for election-related activities: host media briefings for candidates, parties, and monitoring organizations; provide a safe, neutral working environment (including high speed internet connectivity) for monitoring organizations, local groups, and journalists.
The Media Centers will operate till December 31, 2016, every Mondays to Saturdays. At the election day the Media Centers will be opened one hour prior to opening of the polling stations.
The Media Centers are supported by EWMI ACCESS with financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
For more information about the Centers for Civic Engagement, visit the website www.cce.ge or ACCESS website .
