The Centre for Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Training started the implementation of one of the most important directions of the preparation phase for the elections of the Parliament of Georgia, which provides retraining of the corps of trainers.
The project is large-scale, 226 persons will pass the training. At the next stage, trained trainers will conduct intensive trainings for the members of Precinct Election Commissions (PEC) in the operational territory of 73 District Election Commissions.
Training of trainers will be carried out in the period from August 19 to September 7, 2024. The opening part of the event was led by Giorgi Kalandarishvili, Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Natia Zaalishvili, Director of the Centre for Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Training (Training Centre) and Davit Ghongadze, Deputy Head of the Georgian Representation of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES).
The Chairman of the CEC spoke about the process of preparations for the 2024 Parliamentary Elections and the main innovations that the Election Administration is implementing in order to conduct elections in line with international and European standards. In this regard, the deputy head of the IFES representation focused on the extensive work carried out by the CEC and the Training Centre, which is aimed at promoting the professional knowledge and skills of the PECs’ members. The director of the Training Centre, in turn, introduced the participants to the training concept developed for the elections, which responds the recommendations outlined in the reports of the monitoring organizations and serves to fulfill the strategic task of training qualified election administrators.
In order to implement the training programs for the PECs’ members, the trainers will undergo training in two profile directions:
The participants of the training will receive detailed information about the activities to be performed by the PECs and the standards, the uniform fulfillment of which is essential in the process of providing services to the voters, in the period before the E-day and during the polling process. During the training, an important place will be devoted to such issues as: equal and accessible electoral services for each voter, guaranteeing the free expression of the voter's will, secrecy of vote and protection of voter's personal data at the polling station, creation and support of an inclusive electoral environment, ensuring conditions for unhindered observation of the process. In this regard, the guiding principles of the PEC's activity (legality, political neutrality, professionalism), ethics norms and obligations to be fulfilled within the mandate of the PEC are discussed.
The trainers trained by the Training Centre will conduct the trainings for the PECs with the following system:
In addition, according to the concept, it is envisaged that the trainers will conduct an additional stage of training, in which the replaced members of the PECs and those members who could not attend the training stage will participate.
In accordance with the concept developed by the Training Centre, the trainers will carry out the trainings for the PECs using the combined training methodology. Simulations and role-playing games are provided in order to analyze and study the management of electronic election machines, the procedural innovations of voting, and the conduct of the vote counting process. With the maximum load of practical exercises, trainings will be held in relation to the teaching of the procedure for filling out the summary protocol of voting results.
Trainers will conduct trainings for the PECs members in the period from September 14 to October 22, 2024. Detailed schedules will be published on the websites of the CEC and the Training Centre before the start of the trainings.
The program of retraining the corps of trainers for elections is implemented by the Training Centre with the support of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
