USAID allocates $14mln to support pre-election process in Georgia ahead of 2020-2021 elections

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has allocated $14 million to support the pre-election process in Georgia ahead of the 2020 parliamentary and 2021 municipal elections.

USAID says that the four-year programme “will support more responsive and citizen-centered political processes.”

It will be the US government’s primary electoral assistance initiative for Georgia’s 2020 and 2021 electoral cycles and beyond,” USAID Georgia said.

Acting US Ambassador Elizabeth Rood has given opening remarks at the launch of USAID's new Elections and Political Processes initiative. Photo: USAID Georgia. 

The new program will be carried out by nine partner NGOs.

These include three international organisations:

• International Republican Institute (IRI).
• International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
• National Democratic Institute (NDI).

And six Georgian NGOs:

• Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP).
• Eastern European Centre for Multiparty Democracy (EECMD).
• Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA).
• International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED).
• Public Movement Multinational Georgia (PMMG).
• Transparency International Georgia (TI).

The organisations will have to carry out various activities to support greater civic engagement and strengthen oversight over political institutions.

GYLA says that they will receive $500,000, with which they will continue to monitor election disputes, while ISFED will receive 1.5 million USD to monitor the election day and observe social media, Netgazeti reports.