Tbilisi, Georgia – On 20 May 2010, the Electoral Media Center established jointly by three local observer organizations – Transparency International Georgia, the International Society of Fair Elections and Democracy and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association – was launched. The Center is located at the Media Club of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs. Through the Media Center, the organizations will provide journalists and the wider public with information regarding the implemented and planned monitoring activities, monitoring results and other important matters related to the elections. During the pre-election period, the organizations will focus on the following issues: • Implementation of the procedures set out in the Electoral Code and whether the deadlines established by the Code are met; • Activities of the electoral administration; • Election campaigns of the political parties and their candidates; • Use of administrative resources for election campaign; • Adjudication of campaign-related complaints. On the E-Day, the Media Center will operate in a 24-hour mode and will issue several statements on the following matters: • Voting procedures in polling stations; • Violations and irregularities recorded on the Election Day; • Vote count procedures in polling stations. After the Election Day, the observer organizations will publish: • Results of quantitative and qualitative monitoring; • Assessment of consolidation of election results by electoral commissions; • Analysis of the process of adjudication of election-related appeals; • Assessment of the entire electoral process and recommendations for the resolution of the highlighted problems. Press releases will be available in Georgian, Russian and English. Hard copies will be distributed at the Media Center, while electronic versions will be released via internet and posted on the websites of the observer organizations (www.transparency.ge, www.isfed.ge, www.gyla.ge). The Media Center will also have a hotline that will enable any interested individuals, including the representatives of political parties and NGOs and voters, to contact the Media Center and provide information about recorded violations. The information received via the hotline will be added to a special database and sent to the organizations represented in the Media Center. The organizations will examine the information and will react accordingly if it is confirmed that a violation did occur. The hotline (144 896) will operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, except for Saturday and Sunday. On the Election Day, the hotline will operate in a 24-hour mode. The Media Center is funded by the Open Society – Georgia Foundation.