OSCE Mission helps test impartiality of election administration in Georgia

TBILISI, 23 September 2005 - The Mission to Georgia is helping the Central Election Commission (CEC) to test the skills and knowledge of local election officials by financing a new testing system.

An agreement committing the CEC to develop the screening process was signed today by the Head of Mission, Ambassador Roy Reeve, and Gia Kavtaradze, President of the CEC.

"Three thousand questions have been gathered from the Georgian public, questions that independent election officials should be able to answer," said Ambassador Roy Reeve, Head of the OSCE Mission in Georgia.

"Georgia's Election Code clearly stipulates the need for professional and independent election commissions. The questionnaire we are funding should help to test those values in commission candidate,"he added.

All candidates will have to answer 100 random questions in exams scheduled for the end of the year.

The President of the CEC said of the test, "Today's screening is vital for tomorrow's success. The test is part of our efforts to help ensure the CEC's transparency and accountability, and it acknowledges principles of the Georgian Bar exam."