For immediate release

Tbilisi, September 5, 2012 - Four Georgian think tanks have launched a pre-election project with the financial support from the Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development in Georgia (G-PAC) program of USAID/ East-West Management Institute (EWMI).

The project aims to raise the Georgian public’s awareness of the positions of the country’s leading political parties on economic and social issues ahead of the 1 October 2012 parliamentary elections. As part of the project, the implementing organizations will launch a website that will provide voters with comprehensive information regarding the positions of political parties on a set of policy issues (agriculture, social security, healthcare, education, macroeconomic policy, etc). The implementing organizations will also provide expert reviews of party platforms and will host debates between political parties on the relevant policy issues.

As part of the project, presentations of the economic platforms of leading political parties will be held:

6 September, 12:00 -- Presentation for National Democratic Party

10 September, 12:00 -- Presentation for New Right

13 September, 12:00 – Presentation for Christian-Democratic Movement

17 September, 12:00 -- Presentation for Georgian Dream

Presentations will be held at the Tbilisi Marriot Hotel. Dates and time for the presentation of the Labor Party’s and the United National Movement’s economic platforms are currently being determined and will be announced separately.