The Central Election Commission (CEC) and the LEPL Centre for Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Training (Training Centre), in cooperation with the “Youth Academy of Democracy”, successfully implemented the project “Student Debate Club 2026.”

The aim of the educational project was to raise electoral awareness among young people and to strengthen civic culture by promoting the importance of constructive, argument-based debates.

As a result of the competition announced within the framework of the project, 30 students of law faculty from five universities (Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University; Ilia State University; Georgian Technical University; Caucasus University; Caucasus International University) registered to participate in it. Participants were divided into 10 teams, each consisting of three members.

At the initial stage of the project, the Training Centre held informational-study meetings with the participants. During these meetings, recent developments regarding the introduction of electronic electoral technologies in Georgia were discussed, participants were trained in debate techniques. Particular attention was paid to the following elements: debate structure and rules; researching/processing arguments and evidence; public speaking techniques; debate ethics and principles.

The project final was held on February 16, 2026. Two teams with the highest scores from among the 10 participating teams in the qualifying round competed in the final debate. The topic of the final debate was: “The protection of electoral rights is a more important value than absolute freedom of speech in the context of the risk of disinformation.”

The winners were determined by a panel of judges, which included: Deputy Chairperson of the CEC Giorgi Sharabidze; Director of the Training Centre Natia Zaalishvili; CEC Press Speaker Natia Ioseliani; Head of the Training Programs Department of the Training Centre Maia Gudadze; Deputy Head of the Culture, Education, Sports and Youth Affairs City Service of Tbilisi City Hall Vasil Karseladze; and Member of the Education and Culture Commission of the Tbilisi City Council Nodar Bokeria. Participants were evaluated based on the quality of their arguments, use of evidence, adherence to debate ethics and regulations, public speaking skills.

At the end of the final event, an award ceremony was held, and the participants were presented with certificates and commemorative gift sets.

The project “Student Debate Club 2026” was implemented within the framework of the sub-program “Support for Continuous Education and Student Projects” of the Culture, Education, Sports and Youth Affairs City Service of Tbilisi City Hall.