For October 2, 2021 Municipal Elections PECs members went through the intensive trainings.

11 279 training sessions were conducted according to the training program elaborated by the Training Centre.

• 11 125 trainings (through the six stages) – oriented on the training for 3633 PECs;
• 72 trainings (through the four stages) - oriented on the training for 31 PECs operating in N4 Krtsannisi district (pilot project will be implemented through the technologies)
• 73 trainings (through the one stage) - oriented on the training for the members of 73 Special Groups established to ensure the realization of electoral rights for voters temporarily residing in Stationary-Medical Facilities and isolation (quarantine, self-isolation);
• 9 trainings (through the one stage) - oriented on the training for the members of the 9 Precinct Election Commission/Special Group established in the Penitentiary Institutions of the Special Penitentiary Service.

Training of the PECs’ members was implemented based on the updated concept, according to which:

• increased the intensity of the trainings;
• enhansed the component of the profile training for the PECs’ head officials (chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary);
• emphasys was set on the practical methodology of the trainings.

To promote the development of professional knowledge and practical skills, within the framework of the training program, the PECs’ members performed the functions to be implemented on the polling day in the format of episodic stagings; the heads of the election commissions also worked intensively on the technique of drawing up the summary protocol of the polling results. Trainings were provided across the country by 202 trainers trained by the training center.

The study process was conducted in compliance with all recommendations related to the pandemic:

Prior to the start of each training session, participants underwent a rapid test at 191 training locations, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Defence of Georgia.

It should be noted that, high level of interest to the training process was revealed from observation missions:

In order to ensure observation of the ongoing training process across the country, the CEC and the Training Centre proactively published training schedules on their websites. Trainings were attended by:

• two international observer organizations;
• 18 local observer organizations.

According to the attendance statistics of PECs’ members, the figures are as follows:

According to the stages, members of 3633 PEC’s attended the trainings (detailed):	According to the stages, members of 31 PEC’s operating in N4 Krtsanisi district attended the trainings (detailed):
I stage - 38 169 members (68%) II stage - 12 802 members (66%) III stage - 14 451 members (47%) IV stage - 9 495 members (87%) V stage - 38 184 members (62%) VI stage - 9 166 members (84%)	I stage - 312 members (63%) II stage - 88 members (95%) III stage - 410 members (78%) IV stage - 90 members (97%)
Members of 73 Special Groups established to ensure the realization of electoral rights for voters temporarily residing in Stationary-Medical Facilities and isolation (quarantine, self-isolation) attended the trainings (detailed):	Members of the 9 Precinct Election Commission/Special Group established in the Penitentiary Institutions of the Special Penitentiary Service attended the trainings (detailed):
I stage - 819 members (81%)	I stage - 82 members (93%)

The CEC made a public announcement on the importance of attending the trainings aiming to ensure the development of PECs’ members qualification after  low attendance rate was revealed in some cases.

In order to inform the PECs’ members and to promote the effective management of their ctivities, the following was elaborated:

• various informational – training resource (in cooperation with the Internationl Foundation of Electoral Systems (IFES) materials were translated into the ethnic minorities’ languages);
• online informational – training course “Polling Day Procedures” (program was published on the E-learning platform available on the CEC’s and the Training Centre’s websites. The members of PECs, absent on the scheduled trainings, had an opporunity to receive detailed information about polling day procedures by using electronic training resource)
• pilot electroninc training program “Techniques of Drawing up Summary Protocol of Polling Day” (in order to ensure additional practice on drawing up summary protocols, the PECs’ head officials were provided with an access to computer technique in the DEC building and other relevant spaces. The resource was elaborated in cooperation among the CEC, the Training Centre and International Foundation of Electoral Systems (IFES)).

The amendments intended to support raising of PECs’ members qualificiation, adopted by the CEC and the Training Centre reflect the reccomendations from the observer organizations’ reports about 2020 elections and are aimed at increasing election commissions’ work efficacy for October 2, 2021 elections and improving services for the voters and electoral stakeholders.