Thirteen political parties in Georgia have signed an agreement setting the format for a nationwide public television channel, called the Second Channel, that will broadcast the activities of the Georgian parliament and opposition parties.

Strengthening the building blocks of democratic legislatures – transparency, accountability, oversight, responsiveness and effective legislation – is among the goals of the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), an organization created by the U.S. House of Representatives to promote and support emerging democratic governments around the world.  HDP currently has 14 partner countries on five continents.

The preservation of democracy is key to stability and security in the wake of the August conflict with Russia, former Georgian Parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze said at a Dec. 19 briefing at NDI. Burjanadze discussed the importance of strong democratic institutions, free media and an independent judiciary. She expressed hope that the establishment of a new political party launched in October, the Democratic Movement-United Georgia, would provide another constructive opposition voice.

Challenges facing the Republic of Georgia were among topics discussed by David Bakradze, chairman of the Georgian Parliament, at a briefing at NDI on Dec. 10. Bakradze announced the establishment of a special parliamentary commission to improve Georgia’s electoral code and talked about questions arising in the wake of the August conflict and political, judicial and media reforms.

Pictured above: David Bakradze, giving remarks during a briefing at NDI.

–

Published on Dec. 11, 2008