isfed20

ISFED IS 20 YEARS OLD

2003

2012

FIRST OBSERVATION WITH PVT METHODOLOGY ON ELECTIONS IN GEORGIA

2010WWW.ELECTIONSPORTAL.GE

SMS DATA COLLECTING ON ELECTIONSELECTIONS PORTAL

LAUNCHED

2014

MONITORING WITH TABLETS

ISFEDFOUNDED

1995

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20 YEARS OF ISFED 20 YEARS OF ISFED

In September 2015, the International Soci-ety for Fair Elections and Democracy, also known as ISFED, turned 20.

In 1995, as the Parliament of Georgia ad-opted a new Constitution, the country was preparing for the parliamentary and the presidential elections; however, an organi-zation that would carry out citizen observa-tion of the elections still did not exist, which is why four NGOs founded ISFED.

“Absence of democratically elected local self-government bodies; television and ra-dio monopolized by the state; grave crimi-nal situation; terrorism; series of unsolved terrorist acts; legal nihilism; most severe economic crisis,” – this is how ISFED de-scribed political and economic situation in the country in its fi rst monitoring mission report in 1995. The organization found-ed under those circumstances had rather ambitious goals: promote development of democratic political processes in the coun-try to facilitate active citizen participation and create the system of checks and bal-ances with public involvement.

This was 20 years ago. Throughout this time, ISFED remained true to its goals and values, and carried out its activities in compliance within internationally recog-nized democratic standards for monitoring organizations. Today ISFED is facing new challenges of constant strive for organizational develop-ment, broadening the scope of its activi-

ties to respond to new political and social needs, and maintaining high professional standards. We take pride in ISFED’s constant devel-opment and improvement of its monitoring methodology, use of contemporary tools and techniques of communication to in-crease trustworthiness and timeliness of information collected by ISFED.

We take pride in ISFED being a truly grassroots organization, operating with the involvement of tens of thousands of volunteers and active citizens who often protected values of the organization at the cost of their heroic actions and dedication.

We take pride in our regional representa-tion and regional employees distinguished by their work ethic and loyalty for common values and ideals.

We are especially grateful to media rep-resentatives for always taking interest in activities of the organization and certainly to our partner and donor organizations for their faith and support.

Some of the challenges and problems faced by the country and the organization 20 years ago still persist; however, every time we take a look back on Georgia’s path of development of election process-es, we become even more convinced that our work over the years has had perhaps invisible but a meaningful positive impact.

We believe in our goals and our values! History of ISFED and its high professional and ethical standards guarantee that these values will remain intact in the future!

Congratulations! ISFED is 20 years old! Nino Lomjaria

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International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy is an independent non-for-profi t non-governmental organization with one of the broadest regional net-works in Georgia. It was established 20 years ago for the purpose of carrying out citizen monitoring on elections and relat-ed political processes.

ABOUT US

ELECTIONSIN GEORGIA

ISFED IS 20 YEARS OLD

UP TO VOLUNTEER OBSERVERS

PVT METHODOLOGY ONELECTIONS IN GEORGIA

INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATION MISSIONS

სამართლიანი არჩევნები არის

400 MEMBERS4 REGIONAL OFFICES

73 DISTRICT COORDINATORS

9 BOARD MEMBERSCENTRAL OFFICE40 000 VOLUNTEER OBSERVERS

Having one of the largest domestic net-works in Georgia, ISFED covers all mu-nicipalities of Georgia and operates through 4 regional offi ces and 73 regional representatives. As a membership-based organization, ISFED brings together 400 members and has a supreme governing body – the General Assembly that meets once a year. General Assembly elects 9

Throughout the 20 years ISFED has mon-itored 18 elections and made an import-ant contribution to the improvement of the Election Code as well as electoral and po-litical environment in the country.

members of the Board for a three-year term. One-third of Board Members are re-newed on an annual basis, during Gener-al Assembly’s yearly meetings. Executive Director is appointed by the Board and is charged with supervision of strategic di-rections and overall activities of ISFED.

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ISFED’s mission is to spread and protect democratic values by ensuring transpar-ency of election processes, government control and citizen participation. Following are the main that underlie the work of ISFED.

IMPARTIALITY

In its activities ISFED is guided by the principle of independence and impartial-ity. In the process of monitoring elections and the government, evaluating public processes and mediating between the government and the citizens, ISFED is free from any political infl uences and par-ty interests.

TOLERANCE

Protection of human rights is ISFED’s su-preme value. Its projects, services and employment policy provide equal oppor-tunities and are based on the principles tolerance and anti-discrimination.

RESPONSIBILITY

ISFED realizes vital role of civil society in the development of democracy and there-fore, has utmost sense of responsibility towards its activities and subsequent re-searches, reports or other products.

HONESTY

ISFED’s management is based on the values of honesty and integrity. Embrac-ing the principle of transparency, informa-tion about ISFED’s activities, subsequent outcomes and achievements, as well as ISFED’s projects and fi nances are public-ly available and accessible.

RESPECT

ISFED and its employees operate in abid-ance by the principles of mutual respect and cooperation both inside the organiza-tion and outside, while working with their partners and colleagues.

ISFED’S MISSION AND VALUES

ELECTIONS AND INNOVATION

20 years ago when ISFED’s fi rst mission monitored the parliamentary and the pres-idential elections, technology was not as advanced as it is now. However, despite the fact that the fi rst monitoring mission was carried out without mobile or Internet connections, ISFED’s fi rst election moni-toring report is an important historic docu-ment clearly outlining the defi ciencies and gross irregularities in the process of elec-tions in Georgia in 1995.

As technology progressed, ISFED modi-fi ed and improved its monitoring missions. As early as in 2003, for the fi rst time in Georgia ISFED introduced Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) - a methodology for election observation. In 2010 we created a web-portal www.electionsportal.ge, lat-er joined by our partner NGOs, Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) and Transparency International – Georgia.

Today the portal allows its users to follow the course of elections online, because all reports of violations detected at election precincts by our organizations are auto-matically uploaded on the website. In 2012 we were the fi rst ones to introduce SMS technology for collecting information from voting precincts, and our observers mon-itored 2013 presidential and 2014 local self-government elections by using tablet computers, as a very effi cient way to re-ceive information from voting precincts.

In addition to improving election moni-toring, ISFED also focuses on training of observers and improving training method-ologies. Forms and guidelines of our mon-itoring always evolves and progresses in between elections.

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ISFED is one of the fi rst NGOs to open re-source-centers in the regions in Georgia. These resource-centers provided a venue for meetings between local self-govern-ment representatives, political parties or other public offi cials and constituents for discussion of various important issues. ISFED is implementing a number of projects for monitoring local self-govern-ments. Projects carried out by ISFED over the years aimed to promote citizen involvement in decision-making process,

as well as to increase openness and ac-countability of Sakrebulos and Gamgeo-bas.

Through our projects we met with popu-lation and elaborated detailed guidelines and instructions for keeping citizens in-formed to increase their involvement with the activities of local self-governments. We conducted trainings about various different issues, including citizen partic-ipation in budget-making process and

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENTS

getting their voices heard about local pri-orities, as well as how to lobby various issues and problems in front of the local authorities.

Over the twenty years of its existence, IS-FED has held more than thousand meet-ings with citizens and local government representatives with participation of over 20 000 individuals in total.

ISFED cooperates with self-government representatives on a permanent basis. We implemented a number of projects about issues that are important for pub-lic offi cials, including providing access to public information, communicating with local citizens, getting citizens involved in budget making, etc.

Following the latest parliamentary (in 2012) and local (in 2014) elections IS-

FED carried out a large-scale monitor-ing of political processes that unfolded in municipalities as well as staff changes at the municipal level, and observed the process of selection and certifi cation for municipal employment since 2014. With ISFED’s active involvement, we were able to prevent a number of illegal and politically motivated dismissals of public servants.

Projects that ISFED has been implement-ing throughout the years prompted local authorities to take public interests into ac-count, which is an important step forward for implementing a meaningful self-gover-nance.

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From the day it was founded, ISFED has been focusing on civil society development, citizen awareness and education, as one of the key areas of its work. All of our projects involve communication with public, directly or otherwise, and keeping them informed about issues like elections, human rights, local self-governance activities and citizen participation in decision-making process. Throughout the twenty years of its exis-tence, ISFED has implemented a number of projects for citizen awareness and has met with tens of thousands of people. While it is impossible to provide names of each and

every one of these projects but we would like to highlight several important ones. In 2006, when Internet was not as wide-spread as it is today, ISFED launched a special awareness project for people living in the regions in Georgia. ‘Citizen and the Government’ was the name of the newspa-per 60 000 copies of which were printed and distributed throughout Georgia. Copies of the newspaper that talked about legislative reforms and other election-related matters, as well as the role of local self-government were distributed by ISFED’s coordinators together with volunteers in rural areas.

To educate young voters ISFED launched a campaign ‘I Vote for the First Time’. It was the fi rst NGO in Georgia that decided to introduce individuals who had recently reached the voting age to Election Day pro-cedure issues and explain the importance of their participation in elections for demo-cratic development of the country. Within the campaign ISFED representatives held 280 meetings in 2006-2008 with fi rst-time young voters throughout Georgia, including in territories predominantly populated by ethnic minorities, and printed a special bro-chure in several languages. ISFED was one of the fi rst NGOs to utilize innovative ways together with is partner or-ganization GYLA to educate and engage citizens in election-related matters. Vol-unteers together with ISFED’s employees visited rural areas within the project Bus Tours and met with thousands of citizens to provide them personally with information about election procedures, and distribute brochures. In addition, we staged the elec-tion simulation with participation of local population and installed public stands for interactive open-air meetings with voters. In 2008-2010, with close cooperation with citizens throughout Georgia we implement-ed projects for increasing citizen participa-tion in decision-making process. In parallel with trainings and meetings, ISFED de-signed guidelines for detailed description of instructions for educating citizens and engaging them in local self-governance ac-tivities and local decision-making process. Representatives of ISFED held systematic

meetings with population in rural areas. We got involved in the process of addressing a number of local issues and problems, which were eventually solved in favor of the local population. To keep the population in rural areas con-stantly informed, ISFED also opened re-source centers, including two in minori-ty-populated areas of Samtskhe Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli. Resource centers in Mar-neuli, Akhaltsikhe, Zugdidi, Gurjaani and Batumi hosted regular discussions/meet-ings about election-related issues with participation of local population. These resource centers housed libraries that con-tained election literature and other types of literature. We focus not only on educating citizens but also our trainer and coordinators. During election period, we use contently updated methods to train individuals who participate in long-term or short-term monitoring mis-sions of ISFED.

ISFED FOR CITIZEN

AWARENESS

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ISFED was one of the fi rst organizations to lobby adoption of the Election Code. IS-FED greatly contributed to the adoption of the fi rst Election Code by the Parliament of Georgia in 2001.

Since then ISFED has been actively in-volved in the process of legislative reform. Together with partner organizations it elab-orated a number of legal proposals aiming to remedy existing legal defi ciencies and improve the election environment in gen-eral. Legal proposals initiated before the authorities about a number of important is-sues, including the election system, voter lists, use of administrative resources, par-ty funding, media coverage of pre-election campaign, etc.

Over the last two years ISFED has been actively involved in the process of local self-government reform. It participat-ed in discussions about the new Local Self-Government Code and was engaged in elaboration of draft regulations about civic participation in implementation of lo-cal self-government. ISFED submitted its comments and opinions about the draft

laws proposed by the authorities. For successful implementation of reforms, ISFED is participating in task forces set up over a number of different issues.

In addition, to educate public about legal recommendations and ongoing reforms, ISFED held a number of roundtables throughout its partner organizations across Georgia. The goal of these roundtables was not only to provide participants with information but also to hear their views.

REFORMS AND

LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES

ISFED has always been involved in the process of democratic development of the country, participating in planning and implementation of various campaigns and rallies.

One of the most successful campaigns was This Affects You Too implemented in partnership with other NGOs, for all TV broadcasters with news programs to be allowed to broadcast nation-wide. Our recommendations about must-carry and

EU-Georgia Association agreement was signed. The concert was preceded by vi-ral campaign about the EU involving well-known citizens from different areas, as well as, regular citizens who all explained why they personally choose Europe.

ISFED is a gender-sensitive NGO. Its members and employees made import-ant contributions to planning and imple-menting rallies of Women’s Movement protesting violence against women and supporting women’s political participation. In addition, were are actively lobbying the draft law on increased women representa-tion in the Parliament and are involved in

must-offer regulations were taken into ac-count by the authorities. The campaign was renewed in 2014 - This Affects You Too – They Are Still Listening is a cam-paign against illegal surveillance by the law enforcement authorities, where ISFED continues to be actively involved.

In 2014, in partnership with over 100 NGOs we planned a large-scale campaign We Choose Europe. This was a rally concert on April 13, 2013, two months before the

the work of Coordination Group for Wom-en’s Political Participation.

ISFED was active in the rallies against the Russian occupation in support of Ukrainian people. It is also involved in all campaigns speaking out against abuses of human rights, including labor rights, rights of women, children, people who live in borderline villages or minority rights in the country.

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RALLIES AND CAMPAIGNS

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INTERNATIONAL ROLE OF ISFED

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ISFED is a member of two infl uential in-ternational monitoring organizations, EN-EMO and EPDE. It observes elections in Georgia as well as abroad, in different countries of the world. To date, ISFED has participated 31 international monitor-ing missions with its 23 long-term and 96 short-term observers. ENEMOISFED has been a member of the Euro-pean Network of Election Monitoring Or-ganizations since 2005. In February 2015, ISFED was elected to the General Secre-tariat of ENEMO.

ENEMO is a group of 22 civic organiza-tions from seventeen countries of Europe and Central Asia. Members of its network include election-monitoring organizations from Eastern, South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which evaluate transparency and fairness of electoral processes and present unbiased and consistent reports based on international standards.

As a member of ENEMO General Secre-tariat, ISFED oversees development of institutional, fi nancial and public relations strategies of ENEMO and their imple-mentation. At the same time, ISFED is in

charge of deploying and supporting inter-national election observation missions on behalf of ENEMO. EPDE ISFED has been a member of European Platform for Democratic Elections since 2012. EPDE brings together thirteen civil society organizations from Eastern Part-nership Countries, the Russian Federation and EU with the aim of supporting Eastern Partnership Countries and Russia in effec-tive monitoring of elections and contribut-ing to the democratic conduct of electoral processes throughout Europe.

Together with partner EPDE members, European Exchange and Promo-LEX, IS-FED is implementing a project for capacity building of the domestic election observer organizations from the Eastern Partner-ship countries. In particular, ISFED is plan-ning and holding workshops, trainings, in-ternships, study visits and other types of learning and experience sharing activities both in Georgia and abroad.

ISFED is also a member of EPDE Board and therefore, it is actively involved in the process decision-making in the platform.

• HELP BOLSTER DEMOCRATIC IN-STITUTIONS, SPREAD DEMOCRATIC VALUES

ISFED’s work aims to promote democratic reforms, formation of strong state institu-tions that are faithful to democratic values and protection of human rights and the rule of law. ISFED monitors authorities, analyzes policy, provides constructive crit-icism and recommendations to help state authorities implement reforms that mirror public interests and the Euro-Atlantic path of the country, and establish good gover-nance and professional public service.

• ENSURE TRANSPARENCY OF ELEC-TORAL PROCESSES

impartial coverage of electoral processes. Specializing in elections, ISFED strives to achieve fairness, equality and integrity of elections by analyzing election environ-ment and election laws, monitoring com-plete cycle of electoral processes, educat-ing voters and ensuring public access to information about elections.

• SUPPORT INSTITUTIONAL DEVEL-OPMENT LOCAL SELF-GOVERN-MENTS

With its own representative in every mu-

nicipality in Georgia, ISFED is an NGO with the widest network in the country. IS-FED’s work in this area focuses on moni-toring local self-government activities and supporting their institutional development. In addition, ISFED submits its input and recommendations about self-government reform

• PROMOTE CIVIC ACTIVISM AND ED-UCATION

Developed democratic societies are char-acterized with high level of civic activism and education. Raising citizen aware-ness and promoting citizen participation in public decision-making process is one of ISFED’s priorities. ISFED’s work in this area focuses on civic education and voter awareness, with an emphasis on promo-tion of participation of

• FOSTER DIALOGUE BETWEEN CITI-ZENS AND THE STATE BY MEDIATION AND ADVOCACY

ISFED has undertaken the role of a medi-ator between the state and citizens both at both local and national levels. It aims to help citizens advocate issues of public concern before relevant bodies of the gov-ernment and solve problems that exist at the local level.

STRATEGIC GOALS

isfed20

Documents

history of isfed

isfed described political

fair elections

presidential elections

common values

protected values

grassroots organization

monitoring methodology