ALL ELECTIONS ALL THE TIME: PAS-TBILISI GOES ALL OUT IN

UNCLAS TBILISI 000037

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/PPD AND EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP SCUL KPAO GG
SUBJECT: ALL ELECTIONS ALL THE TIME: PAS-TBILISI GOES ALL OUT IN
SUPPORT OF GEORGIAN ELECTIONS


1. Summary. On November 8, in an effort to resolve a growing
political crisis in the country, President Saakashvili proposed snap
presidential elections for January 5. PAS-Tbilisi sat down as a
section to brainstorm and develop a robust series of public
diplomacy programs to support the elections within this very tight
timeframe. PAS programming involved every person in the PD section,
and focused on outreach to youth; the regions and ethnic minorities;
journalists and the media; and the academic elite in the way PD does
best; namely, through people-to-people interaction. From activities
at American Corners; information outreach through the IRC;
English-language teaching modules; a televised mock presidential
debate for youth; digital video conferences (DVCs) with U.S. foreign
policy experts; a speaker program on media ethics; alumni webchats
and internet fora; election information outreach in Azeri, Armenian,
Russian and Ossetian languages; and PAS support for Embassy
pre-election circuit rider trips and election-day monitoring
throughout Georgia, PAS carried out a wide spectrum of targeted
programming. We will now fine tune our programming and start
gearing up to support Georgia's parliamentary elections this spring.
End Summary.

A LITTLE BACKROUND
--------------

2. The demonstrations and opposition protests in early November
2007, and the government crack-down that followed, exposed divisions
in Georgian society. The January elections were hotly contested and
represented the first modern opportunity for Georgians to settle
their differences democratically and experience the first regular
transition of power. Many areas of Georgian society had particular
concerns in this election campaign. The elite were divided; the
media were challenged to develop as a free and independent voice for
the country; minority populations in the country and people living
in the regions often felt that Tbilisi was ignoring their concerns;
and youth seemed uninterested in the campaign.


3. The excessively politicized role of the media was also a central
concern in Georgia. On November 7, when the Government of Georgia
used force to disband protests, the Government shut down Imedi
television for a month, and imposed a state of emergency which
banned all independent news reporting, except by the Government
station. Meanwhile, the other national stations are either
government owned or strongly pro-government in their editorial
policy.

"NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY ELECTIONS ARE IMPORTANT" - YOUTH OUTREACH
-------------- --------------

4. PAS identified three primary ways of targeting the youth of
Georgia to increase interest in the election campaign and political
issues in general: web-chats involving US exchange program alumni,
English language modules focused on elections for use in schools,
and a televised mock presidential debate held on a popular
television youth show.


5. FLEX, UGRAD, and Muskie alumni participated in three on-line
election-related web chats organized by IREX's Internet Access and
Training Program (IATP). Five of the seven presidential candidates
participated, and alumni were able to ask questions, 140 in total,
on such topics as presidential candidates political platforms,
poverty reduction, social programs of each presidential candidate,
election rules and procedures, conflict resolution and civic
integration issues, educational reform and other current issues.
FLEX alumni also organized meetings with three of the candidates.
The Georgian Institute for Public Administration (GIPA),a PAS
grantee institution, also organized public fora on the elections.
Over 100 students, professors, and prominent Georgian journalists
attended the meetings with presidential candidates organized by
GIPA. GIPA Radio interviewed each presidential candidate and posted
the interviews on the GIPA Radio website
(http://www.gipa.ge/radio/index_en.php). The meetings were

covered by all major Georgian TV stations. The Rustavi 2 weekly
show "PS" dedicated special news coverage to the meetings at GIPA.
Alumni mentioned that the meetings with presidential candidates were
very informative and they had a rare opportunity to ask questions.


6. Working with the English Teachers Association of Georgia (ETAG),
English teachers were encouraged to develop special classroom
modules on the elections. PAO attended election-related lessons in
four different schools where interactive, participatory classroom
discussion focused on what characteristics a president should have
(religious, patriotic, self-controlled, well-educated, etc.); on
teamwork devoted to developing party platforms; and on mock
campaigns. Student interest was high, and the rectors and invited
guests sat in on the classes. French-German television, ARTE,
serendipitously covered one such class session after overhearing the
teacher talk about it at an internet cafe.


7. PAS worked with the producer and moderators of Kedeli, the most

popular television program for youth in Georgia, to host a mock
presidential debate. Four "candidates" ran for office, including
one of the regular Kedeli hosts, identified by color to avoid any
association with any specific candidate. Candidates presented
themselves to the audience by means of brief videos and platform
statements, and took a number of questions from the studio audience.
A U.S. Fulbrighter, and certified debate coach, prepared them for
the debate and acted as the debate moderator, using the opportunity
to discuss the rules and format of debates, before the studio
audience voted. During the taping, even the camera crew was
transfixed by the process and crowded in the wings of the studio to
watch the proceedings. (PAO overheard them asking each other, "Who
won," when the vote tally was announced.) The program received a
large number of SMS messages while on air which the station scrolled
along the bottom of the screen, including "Now I understand why
elections are so important." The producer termed the show "one of
our best projects this year."

GETTING OUT TO THE REGIONS AND MINORITY OUTREACH
-------------- ---

8. PAS joined Pol-Econ staff on circuit rider teams to five cities
in the regions of Georgia to survey the pre-election situation. PAS
staff assisted in gathering information on the state of the regional
media, arranged media interviews, and coordinated speaking
opportunities on election themes at American Corners and American
Study Centers. Analysis of the local media was particular useful in
evaluating election campaigning in the regions in terms of balance
in reporting and equal media access for all candidates. PAS staff
also served as election monitors throughout Georgia on election day.



9. The regions of southern Georgia that have large Armenian and
Azeri populations were identified as a particular concern due to the
lack of information in the languages they understand and a Russian
nourished traditional distrust to the prospect of Georgia's
integration into western institutions. There is less connection to
the central government and some hostility towards NATO and Georgia's
westward integration. PAS worked with the Central Election
Commission (CEC) to translate brochures and posters on the voting
process into Armenian, Azerbaijani, and even Ossetian and Russian,
and coordinated the distribution of these materials with the CEC.
President Saakashvili attributed the high voter turnout in those
regions to the voter's education campaign which we participated in.

REACHING A BROADER AUDIENCE
--------------

10. PAS used the pre-election period to roll out a more invigorated
electronic outreach program through our IRC, the American Center for
Information Resources (ACIR). In order to reach both the broadest
possible audience and to expand our client base, the ACIR began a
systematic electronic campaign to share information broadly
connected to elections with PAS contacts including media members,
think tank members academics and civil servants. This included
analytical pieces on the American elections, articles on how debates
are run, as well as information related to NATO, and the possible
independence of Kosovo (an issue of great interest to Georgians
since in comments to the press the Russian government has explicitly
connected Kosovo to the break-away regions of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia in Georgia, threatening to recognize the seperatist regions
if Kosovo is recognized).


11. On December 31, 2007 PAS placed an op-ed under Assistant
Secretary Daniel Fried's signature in the weekly "Kviras Palitra,"

SIPDIS
Georgia's most popular newspaper. The op-ed was picked up by two
national television stations, which highlighted Fried's key points
that the elections must be free and fair, that the losers must
accept the results, that Georgia's NATO aspirations are tied to this
election, and that the winners must deliver good governance.
Tensions in the pre-election period have been high. Fried's
statement helped defuse this and refocus the debate, and reminded
Georgians of the possibilities democratic elections offer. Fried is
perceived in Georgia as balanced and insightful; his op-ed presented
to Georgian audiences a deeper understanding of the broader context
of the elections.

EQUIPPING THE MEDIA
--------------

12. In order to address the perceived pro-government bias in the
broadcast media, PAS brought Dr. William Silcock, an Arizona State
University Professor of Journalism, to Tbilisi to speak on media
ethics in election campaigns. To maximize his influence, Dr. Silcock
was brought directly into the newsrooms of the two most popular
remaining national channels - Rustavi 2 and Public Television. He
was given unprecedented access to Rustavi 2 and worked with editors,
producers, and their website coordinator to train them on how
elections are covered in the US and how to provide balanced
analysis. For example he taught journalists how U.S. journalists

will regularly "fact-check" claims that appear in politicians
advertisements. Rustavi-2 has already asked PAS to bring him back
to work with them prior to the spring parliamentary elections.

REACHING THE ELITES IN GEORGIA
--------------

13. In order to reach the media and academic elite of Georgia, PAS
held two Digital Video Conferences with political analysts from the
United States. Over 60 academics, think-tank and NGO leaders,
Muskie alumni and journalists participated in the two DVCs organized
with Dr. Cory Welt of Georgetown University and with former
Ambassador to Belarus and Georgia Dr. Kenneth Yalowitz, now the head
of Dartmouth University's Dickey Center for International
Understanding. The DVCs allowed for extensive and wide-ranging
discussion and questions on the importance of the upcoming election,
Georgia's chances for NATO membership, Georgian-Russian relations,
and likely developments in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Both DVCs
were reported in local newspapers and on the radio. Participants
expressed great interest in further DVCs, some even suggesting a
monthly DVC on such topics.

TEFFT